MARTIN GAITAN Antonio

Classification
B1 (ibsasport.org, 22 Dec 2019)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (lavanguardia.com, 08 Dec 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (lavanguardia.com, 08 Dec 2019)

Impairment Details
His vision impairment is the result of a medical error. He was given medication that damaged his optic nerve while doctors were treating his sinusitis when he was age four. (marca.com, 16 Aug 2017)

General
CAREER ABROAD
He has played Para football 5-a-side in Brazil, Italy, and Belgium during his career, and also spent time training in France. "I was left out of the national team for three years [from November 2014 to August 2017] and missed the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. That was a big blow and I thought about giving up the sport. These experiences abroad helped me find the passion for the sport again." (dxtadaptado.com, 10 Sep 2019; fadec.es, 05 Jul 2018; marca.com, 16 Aug 2017)

INJURY PROBLEMS
He has required four operations on his left knee during his career. "My age and the surgeries are leaving their mark. There are certain things I cannot do any more and I have had to adapt. I was faster, but now my game is more about technical and positional play. I do not want to drag myself on the pitch. The day I feel I am not going to give 100% I will quit. But I still think I can contribute a lot to the team and to the young people who are coming through." (dxtadaptado.com, 10 Sep 2019; avancedeportivo.es, 05 Nov 2014)

OCCUPATION
He sells lottery tickets on behalf of the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind [ONCE] in Malaga, Spain. (lavanguardia.com, 08 Dec 2019; dxtadaptado.com, 10 Sep 2019)