Susana Rodríguez Gacio (born 4 March 1988) is a Spanish doctor, paratriathlete and sprinter. She is a six-time world champion in paratriathlon and twice Paralympic gold medalist in paratriathlon.

Background

Rodríguez was born with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

and a severe visual impairment that limits her vision to less than 5% in one eye and 8% in the other, which is considered legal blindness. Since childhood, she has combined her dedication to sports with a passion for medicine. Since 1998, Rodríguez has practiced athletics with a teacher from the National Organization of the Spanish Blind (

ONCE Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...

) at the Pontevedra Technification Center. She participated in athletics competitions until 2008, the year when she did not get a place in the Paralympic World Cup, she decided to change her sporting activity to triathlon.

Career

In 2009, Rodríguez studied physiotherapy in

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

in the Pontevedra Campus and in 2015 she graduated from the

University of Santiago de Compostela The University of Santiago de Compostela - USC (, ) is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia. It is one of the world's oldest universities in continuous o ...

with a degree in medicine, the year in which she began as a resident intern physician. She began her residency at the Hospital Clínico de

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

in 2016, working as a resident intern of physical medicine and rehabilitation. In 2016, Rodríguez competed in the

2016 Paralympic Games The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

with her guide Mabel Gallardo, finishing fifth in the individual triathlon event. She qualified to participate in the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

, being the first Spaniard to compete in two sports in the Paralympic Games: triathlon and athletics. She became the Paralympic triathlon champion in the PTVI class with her guide Sara Loehr. In addition, she became a candidate for the Athletes' Council of the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...

. Rodríguez won a gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in the PTVI category. In addition, she obtained seven medals in the Adapted Triathlon World Championship between 2012 and 2019, and six medals in the Adapted Triathlon World Championship between 2013 and 2019. She retained her title as Paralympic champion in the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

Awards and honors

In 2014, Rodríguez was recognized with the Premio Gallega del Año for February awarded by

El Correo Gallego ''El Correo Gallego'' is a Galician newspaper founded in Ferrol, Spain, by José María Abizanda in 1878. In 1938 its owner, Juan Sáenz-Díez García, moved the daily to Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Com ...

, Terras de Santiago, Correo TV and Radio Obradoiro. In 2021, she appeared on the cover of

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

for her dedication in the fight against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. That same year, the National Organization of the Spanish Blind (ONCE) dedicated a coupon to her for her participation in the 2020 Paralympic Games. In addition, she was awarded the Special Prize for MAS Talent on Board 2021, one of the three special awards of the VIII Women to Follow Awards, delivered in collaboration with

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

. On 15 November 2021, the plenary session of the Vigo City Council awarded Rodríguez the city's gold medal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Susana 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Vigo Spanish female triathletes Spanish female sprinters 21st-century Spanish women physicians 21st-century Spanish physicians Paralympic athletes for Spain Paralympic triathletes for Spain Triathletes at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Spain Paralympic athletes (track and field) with a vision impairment Spanish blind people University of Santiago de Compostela alumni Physicians with disabilities Triathletes at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in paratriathlon 21st-century Spanish sportswomen