FLORIANO MILLAN Enrique

Classification
PR3 (worldrowing.com, 03 Jun 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (trainersparalimpicos.fundaciononce.es, 01 Jan 2014)

Impairment Details
At age 14 he was diagnosed with cone dystrophy and macular malformation. (dxtadaptado.com, 30 Jul 2021)

General
RETIREMENT AND NEW SPORT
After the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he gave up competitive Para swimming in order to focus his priorities on his managerial job with the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind [ONCE]. After experiencing heart problems in 2017, he then returned to the sport and tried to qualify for the 2018 European Championships in Dublin, Ireland, but fell short by three tenths of a second, so he decided to retire again. In 2020 he saw an opportunity to become a Para rower after the Spanish Rowing Federation were recruiting potential athletes with the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris in mind. "I have fallen in love with the sport. [Spanish Paralympic champion] David Casinos told me that they had organised an ergometer test to be part of the Spanish team. I won the first test and before lockdown [due to the COVID-19 pandemic] we did another test and I also did the best time. In the three months at home, I then prepared myself to the full and was able to join the team." (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021; elperiodicoextremadura.com, 09 Apr 2014)

POSITIVE POSTPONEMENT
He admits that the postponement of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo allowed him more time to adapt to his new sporting career as a Para rower and it also gave more opportunity for the new Spanish PR3Mix4+ crew to become a stronger team. "Being selfish, the only favourable thing we can find about the pandemic is that the Games have been postponed and we have bought time to prepare a team strategy. I am adapting well to the new environment. The sensations are great, I have a lot of room for improvement, but I have regained my enthusiasm and competitiveness with rowing. It is a team sport that I am passionate about." (dxtadaptado.com, 27 Mar 2021)

HEALTH ISSUES
In 2017 he had atrial fibrillation, an abnormality in his heart rate. He had previously been diagnosed with a brain tumour during his preparations for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. He had surgery to prevent the tumour from spreading and recovered in time to compete at the Games, where he won a Para swimming silver medal in the S12 400m freestyle. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Aug 2021; tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021; vivirextremadura.es, 28 Aug 2012)

OCCUPATION
As well as working in a managerial position with ONCE, he has also served as a Para swimming trainer, life coach and motivational speaker for the Paralympic Trainers organisation in Spain. (Facebook profile, 10 Jun 2021; trainersparalimpicos.fundaciononce.es, 01 Jan 2013)