Therese Perales It is world sports history. The Spanish swimmer won a bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke S2 in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Gameswith which he equaled the mark of 28 medals achieved by Michael Phelps. Until now, the American swimmer was the one who held the highest medal record in history, until this Saturday.
𝑯𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑨 𝑫𝑬𝑳 𝑫𝑬𝑷𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑬 𝑬𝑺𝑷𝑨𝑵̃𝑶𝑳
🌟Teresa Perales achieves HER 28th MEDAL and equals Michael Phelps’ legendary mark!!
🥉 The Spaniard wins bronze in the 50m backstroke S2. #ParisRTVE31A #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/xHUEg8trkp
– Télédeporte (@teledeporte) August 31, 2024
The Aragonese is competing in Paris for her seventh time Paralympic Games. It was created in 2000, in Sydney, where, at the age of 24, he won a total of five medals (one silver and four bronze). She would also fill up on medals four years later, at Athens 2004, when she was proclaimed double Olympic champion and added another silver and three more bronzes. He would win three gold medals at Beijing 2008, another silver and another bronze, while at London 2012 he would win six more medals (one gold, three silver and two bronze). In Rio there would be three silver medals and one bronze.
In Tokyo he would have the opportunity to surpass Phelps, but he won a bronze medal and only until now has he managed to do so. The Paralympic swimmer has managed to make history not only in Spanish sport, but also in the whole world. With her bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke S2, Teresa Perales equals the greatest legend of the Olympics, a Michael Phelps across four Olympic events, from Athens 2004 to Rio 2016.
Before, the swimmer from Gipuzkoa Inigo Llopis offered the third gold medal to the Spanish delegation present at the Paralympic Games in Paris after conquering the 100 meters backstroke S8. The Gipuzkoan was the rival to beat in his final, to which he arrived after being the fastest in the series and as reigning world champion.
The Basque swimmer left no options to his rivals and imposed himself with authority to win his second medal at the Games after silver three years ago in Tokyo in the same event.
For his part, Maria Delgado He added a bronze medal in the 100 backstroke S13. The Zaragoza, who started the final with the third best time, defended this condition in the fight for the medals, where she finished second in the first 50 meters, although she ultimately failed to contain the Ukrainian Anna Stetsenko. This is the third Paralympic medal for the Zaragoza native after two bronzes in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in this event and in the 50 freestyle S12.