The mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), welcomed Javier Labrador, swimmer of the Kronos Swimming Club Mijas, this Thursday at the Town Hall, to whom she expressed her admiration for the sporting successes he has achieved. Labrador was recently recognised by the Junta de Andalucía as the Best Sportsman with a Disability at a gala held in Granada last November.
Every year these awards distinguish the most outstanding sportsmen and women in the region in the different categories established by the Junta de Andalucía. Labrador won two gold medals at the 2022 European Summer Games, in the 400m freestyle and in the relay.
Ana Mata congratulated him and wished him the best of luck in the upcoming events for which he is preparing. Mata emphasised "the importance of talking about integration and that everyone should feel capable in the field they like. Sport makes people great and Javier is an example that anyone can achieve what they want". She also presented him with an engraving of the Virgen de la Peña hermitage as a souvenir and invited him to sign the book of honour of the Town Hall.
Labrador, who attended the event with his mother and the president of the Mijas Swimming Club, Víctor Abelardo, was proud and grateful and wanted to send a message to all those who have some kind of disability: "If I have been able to get there, you can. The secret is effort and perseverance. There are no limits".
Javier Labrador is an athlete who, despite his youth (he is 22 years old), has won numerous competitions in the different events in which he participates in the pool. He trains every day at the Regino Hernández Sports City, as part of the Kronos Mijas Swimming Club and under the orders of coach Ximena Varón, a swimmer with a great sporting career.
Labrador has Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which has not prevented him from dedicating himself to what he is passionate about and has led him to become a champion, being the record holder with the most records in Spain, with a total of six in the various disciplines in which he competes.
Great national and international success
Javier Labrador tried several disciplines before finding his passion in swimming and at the age of 13 he started in top competition. He has participated with the Andalusian national team in three sub-championships and one championship. He won a gold medal and was later called up to the Spanish national team. He has attended six assists in World and European Championships. He has also won two gold medals in a European Paralympic competition, with the strongest relay that the Federation of the Intellectually Disabled had, beating France, Russia and Ukraine.
He is currently shortlisted for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. More competitions and rewards await him, such as the one he received at the Andalusia Sports Awards or the Adapted Sports Award, which Mijas Comunicación presented him with at this year's Mijas Sports Gala and which he shared with his teammate Jaime Montero.
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