Another swimming champion finished with victory and caused a stir among his fandom. The Spanish para swimmer is the son of Real Madrid’s goalkeeping coach, which explains his athletic roots. Football was his forte, but after an injury, swimming turned out a rehabilitation. For someone to discover their interest in not just one sport but two has been nothing short of an incredible turn of events. Despite all of this, his disability—a smaller right arm and leg—has never been a barrier for him. The Donosti-born discovered freestyle and backstroke to be his skills during his Olympic debut and hasn’t looked back since.

His name returned to the top of the news after a brief absence owing to another international victory. This time with eyes on not one, but two milestones, he also added a hint of a unique celebratory gesture.

Swimming Champion makes a classic return

Iñigo Llopis Sanz created history at the World Swimming Championships in Manchester, winning first place in the S8 category of the 100-meter backstroke event. With a gold medal in hand, he easily made it to the National Team for the Games in Paris. However, what set his amazing record out of public attention was the iconic “You Can’t See Me” gesture he made just as he finished the swim. A tweet from @kylesockwell made his act the focus of everyone’s attention.

Professional wrestler John Cena popularised Sanz’s maneuver, which includes waving a hand in front of the face to tell someone you appear invisible. The internet speculates as to how long he has been planning the signature technique before actually doing it. Call it manifesting a dream, but just a few weeks back he said in an interview,  “The goal is to fight for a medal in Paris 2024.” A reward that came to him after a lifetime of struggling to succeed on a daily basis.

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He confessed to striving for the gold. His future goals are evident given that he secured a spot in the 2024 Olympics team. Beginning with his debut in the 2016 Rio Olympics, at 17, his swimming career has been nothing but challenging swim. His football career ended at 11 and led him to swimming, where he faced setbacks during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Well, this time he decided to stick with the sport and keep striving for the next win.

Swimming silver made way for the recent gold

Sanz initially felt more confident after taking home silver in the 100-meter backstroke S8 at the European Championships and bronze at the 2019 World Championships. He competed in two events at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics. He won a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke S8 competition. On day 7 of the S8 Final, he competed in the men’s 400-meter freestyle event as well. Even though he did not take home a medal in this event, his participation showed his versatility as a swimmer.

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The successes Llopis had in the Paralympics show how talented and dedicated he is to para-swimming. Just after his silver win, he said, “I was paying attention to what the Games are all about and that impacted me when competing. Now, after four years of hard work, I’m at a higher level of competitiveness and looking forward to more.” Llopis is now working to get in peak shape. Well, what do you think about his record prior to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games?

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