Rafael Botello
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Botello Jiménez |
| Nickname | Rafa |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Born | 23 February 1979 (age 45) Vic, Barcelona, Spain |
| Website | RafaBotello.com |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Marathon |
| Coached by | Javier Gutierrez |
Rafael Botello Jiménez (born 23 February 1979)[1] is a Spanish wheelchair athlete specializing in long-distance events. He has represented Spain at the 2008 and the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Personal life[edit]
Botello was born in Vic, Barcelona on 23 February 1979 and since then still living in Manlleu (SPAIN).
His father was born in Melilla, a Spanish enclave in northern Africa,[2] and his mother was born in Arquillos, Jaen. He has one sister.
In 2002, he was in a bicycle accident that left him a paraplegic because of damage to the thoracic spinal nerve 11 and 12.[3] Prior to his accident he played a number of sports on the amateur level including football, kickboxing and athletics.[3]
Athletics[edit]
Botello is a T54 competitor.[4][5] In 2017, he was the Spanish national record holder in the 1500 meters, on the track, and 2011 in 5 km, 10 km and 2017 in marathon on the road.[4] He was the first Spanish wheelchair competitor to go sub-1:25 in the marathon and sub-10:15 in the 5,000 meters.[4]
In an average year of training and competition, he will cover a distance 8,500 kilometres (5,300 mi). At the same time, he will spend six days a week training.[3] Inside Spain, there is little funding for wheelchair marathon races and few money races and no professional category. Thus, he spends a lot of the time competing outside the country.
In order to get sponsorship, he had to personally approach and sell himself to potential sponsors.[3]
At the 2006 World Championships in Sweden, Botello won a gold medal in the 3,000 meter event.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in the marathon where he finished seventh.[3] In 2010, he competed in the New York City Marathon, finishing in a time of 1:47.39, making him the first Spanish wheelchair competitor to finish the race.[3] The 2010 race was his fifth time competing in the race in which he placed in the top ten three times.[3] In 2011, he did the running part of the CAN Triathlon Mallorca, with Vicente Javier Torres Ramis doing the swimming leg and Joan Llaneras doing the cycling component.[4]
Botello competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[5][13] He failed to make the finals in the 5,000 meters event.[5] He finished ninth in the marathon with a time of 1:33.05.[6][14][15] Melilla hosted a half marathon in November 2012 that he participated in. It was the first half marathon he competed in, and took place in his father's hometown.[2] In March 2013, he competed at the Los Angeles Marathon.[15] In March 2013, he participated in an international training camp for wheelchair athletes held in Costa Rica.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ "Paralimpiadas - Deportista: Rafael Botello Jiménez". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ a b "eltelegrama — Botello: "Con el tiempo podrían venir a competir 1.500 personas"" (in Spanish). Eltelegrama.es. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Rafa Botello y la hazaña de correr el maratón de Nueva York con la fuerza de sus brazos" (in Spanish). 20minutos.es. 2010-11-16. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Un equipo de atletas comprometidos con Unicef participa este sábado en la segunda edición del ICAN Triatlón" (in Spanish). 20minutos.es. 2011-09-17. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "Primer oro y tres bronces mĂĄs para EspaĂąa, debuta la tinerfeĂąa Michelle Alonso" (in Spanish). Spain: Diario de Avisos. 31 August 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada" (in Spanish). Hoy.es. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada. Sur.es" (in Spanish). Diariosur.es. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ Juanjo Baena. "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada — La Razón digital" (in Spanish). Larazon.es. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada. Vizcaya" (in Spanish). El Correo. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada. nortecastilla.es" (in Spanish). Elnortedecastilla.es. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada" (in Spanish). Larioja.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Alberto Suárez y Ait Khamouch ponen oro y plata en la última jornada" (in Spanish). Diariovasco.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Frecuencia Digital Debutan el Atletismo y La Roja de Fútbol 5 en los Parlímpicos" (in Spanish). Frecuenciadigital.es. Archived from the original on 2012-12-23. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- ^ "Oro y récord mundial para Alberto Suárez en el maratón de los Juegos Paralímpicos. SUR.es" (in Spanish). Diariosur.es. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "Laurens Molina organiza un campamento en Costa Rica" (in Spanish). Aldia.cr. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.