Paralympic champion swimmer Teresa Perales wins prestigious Spanish prize

The Princess of Asturias award recognizes those who promote scientific, cultural and humanistic values.

NATACHA PISARENKO, Associated Press

Spain’s paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales waves during an IOC session during the Madrid 2020 bid presentation in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sept. 7, 2013,.

Associated Press
June 2, 2021

MADRID — Paralympic champion swimmer Teresa Perales won Spain’s annual Princess of Asturias award for sports Wednesday.

When announcing the prize, the judges said the Spanish athlete had become “an example for millions of disabled people of how to overcome difficulties and an icon of international Paralympics.”

Perales, 45, lost the use of her legs due to neuropathy when she was 19 and switched from karate to swimming. She has won numerous medals at the Paralympic Games over the past two decades. She is also a motivational speaker and physiotherapist.

The $60,900 award is one of eight Asturias prizes handed out each year by the foundation. Other categories include art, social sciences and scientific research.

Former winners include American Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher.

The awards are among the most prestigious in the Spanish-speaking world. An awards ceremony typically takes place in October in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo.

 

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