"Who would have thought that my path would bring me here when, in 1995, I heard 'you will never walk again'," Perales said during her speech. The athlete also recalled the words of a neighbor who, after learning about her situation, lamented what had happened to her. However, faced with that look of pity, her mother had always been certain that her daughter should move forward.
The swimmer then looked back on a sporting career that had seemed unimaginable when she began competing. "Who would have thought, 24 years later, that I would have won 27 medals? Not even my coach believed it," she acknowledged before the audience, highlighting the dreams and projects she had managed to fulfill.
Beyond her sporting achievements, Perales used the occasion to reflect on progress in the inclusion of people with disabilities. She highlighted improved accessibility in buildings and shops, as well as the existence of a dependency law, although she warned that there was still a long way to go toward a more equal society.
Her speech ended with a message aimed especially at children. "We must not wait for someone to tell us what to do; we have to decide what we want and pursue it with determination," she said, encouraging them to surround themselves with people willing to help them achieve their goals.
Teresa Perales' words, her tribute to her mother and her 27 medals marked a particularly significant ceremony for sport in Aragon. This is how Aragón Digital reported it five years ago, in the original story about the presentation of the Princess of Asturias Sports Award to the Zaragoza swimmer.
