GASCON Sarai

Classification
S9, SB9, SM9 (IPC, 07 May 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018)

Impairment Details
She was born without her left forearm [hemimelia]. (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018; 20minutos.es, 10 Sep 2008)

General
EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE
In September 2017 she was in Mexico City, Mexico, when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck. She was training at the Mexican Paralympic Centre [CEPAMEX] along with her national teammate Jose Antonio Mari-Alcaraz and their coach Miguel Vazquez Calvo ahead of the 2017 World Championships, which were rescheduled for a later date following the earthquake. "Everything moved from one side to the other. We could not walk. The floor was shaking and people were crying and screaming on the street. I could not sleep that night, afraid of an aftershock. It was something that I will never forget." (marca.com, 21 Sep 2017)

COMBINING TRAINING WITH STUDYING
She has studied for a degree in primary education at the Catholic University of Murcia [UCAM] in Spain. She was inspired to pursue the profession by her mother, who also works as a teacher. "I always saw the passion with which she did her work and I always liked everything related to it. I believe that educating the little ones in values helps us to generate a more inclusive society, where equality takes place. UCAM opened the doors for me to be able to study and has been fundamental in combining my studies with my sporting career. It gets tough. After training and being so exhausted, it's hard to concentrate 100%. Thanks to the UCAM and remote study I can adjust and organise according to my sporting needs. That's essential to me." (paralimpicos.es, 24 Sep 2020; ucamdeportes.com, 23 Oct 2020)