PONCE BERTRAN Antoni

Classification
S5, SB5, SM5 (IPC, 28 May 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 03 Dec 2017)

Impairment Details
He has bilateral degenerative spastic paraplegia. The condition mainly affects his abdomen and his legs. (kurere.org, 10 Nov 2018; Athlete, 03 Dec 2017)

General
OCCUPATION
He runs a physical therapy clinic in Vilafranca del Penedes, Spain. "I wake up every day at 06:30 in the morning, travel by car to Barcelona to train, then return to Vilafranca del Penedes to work in the clinic. Doing both things involves good management of my time, but it helps me to disconnect my mind from swimming, and that suits me well." (dxtadaptado.com, 30 Dec 2019; marca, 04 Oct 2019; toniponce.weboficial.net, 21 Feb 2021)

SPORT AND HIS IMPAIRMENT
He has bilateral degenerative spastic paraplegia, and his condition began to worsen after he took up the sport in 2012. He decided to continue swimming despite warnings from his neurologist that the acceleration in the severity of his impairment may be the result of competing in elite sport. "The sport has caused my condition to worsen faster, but the benefits are very good and that's why I continue and go for more. Life is what touches you and you have to enjoy it. You cannot throw in the towel and be pessimistic because you will not enjoy your life. You have to set goals and fight for them. Each person has to set their own goals so that his day-to-day life is better, no matter what." (fosbury.cat, 18 Feb 2020; kurere.org, 10 Nov 2018)