Teresa Perales: 28 medals and the victory of perseverance

There’s a sound only those who rise early for the pool know: the first lane ropes shifting, the echo of a door, the faint shimmer of water before anyone dives in. This has been Teresa Perales’ world for half her life. Not to chase headlines —though she has them— but to maintain a routine she began at 19, when neuropathy changed how she moved and water became a place of independence.

Her story is well-known, yet it’s still striking to retell: a long career built on persistence, training sets and ordinary days. What endures isn’t just the medal count; it’s her way of being in the water and beyond.

From 19 to the pool: an opportunity

Her starting point wasn’t a stroke of luck or sudden triumph. It was a municipal pool, a kickboard, and the decision to return the next day. That simple act —returning— became her system over time.

In Paris 2024, Perales added another medal (bronze in the 50m backstroke S2) and also set the S2 Paralympic record in the 100m freestyle. Beyond the stats, the message is straightforward: compete, measure, accept the circumstances, and keep going.

The calendar doesn’t stop

The results didn’t end there. In 2025, just days ago at the World Championships in Singapore, she claimed silver in the 200m freestyle S2. Again, the same approach: wait for the moment, understand the pace, show up when it matters.

What sustains a career

Between podium finishes, there’s something less visible: training when it’s time, resting when it’s time, accepting that not every session is perfect but that they all add up. Perales speaks of systems rather than impulses: setting a time, respecting rest, and leaning on the invisible team —family, coaches, physios, friends— that makes the everyday possible.

From the stands, her career offers snapshots: the silent start, the measured breathing, the touch at the wall, and that moment when the body realises it’s done. From the inside, it’s likely less cinematic and more tangible: sets, drills, adjustments, good days and just-enough days.

The pool is a peculiar place: you’re alone and accompanied at once. Alone, because your mind wanders as you rack up metres; accompanied, because there’s always someone on the other side of the glass sharing part of the effort. In this mix of solitude and company, precision and calm, Teresa Perales has found a way of being that others observe and understand. Perhaps her clearest victory is this: to keep going.

Teresa Perales’ medal record as of 25 September 2025

Paralympic Games: 28 medals (7 gold, 10 silver, 11 bronze).

World Para Swimming Championships: 23 medals (including silver in the 200m freestyle S2 in Singapore 2025).

European Para Swimming Championships: 44 medals.

International total: 95 medals (28 Paralympics + 23 Worlds + 44 Europeans).

Classification note: Perales competed for most of her career in S5/SB4/SM5 categories and, following reclassification due to increased disability, has competed in S2 since 2024.

The unseen persistence

Teresa Perales has turned persistence into a way of life. It’s not a promise of greatness; it’s a pact with the ordinary days. Perhaps that’s why her story resonates beyond sport: it’s about returning when you don’t feel like it, accepting the pace, leaning on the right people, and measuring progress without fuss. One more lap, one more start, one more touch. The rest —the medals, headlines, records— is the visible outcome. What matters stays within: to keep going.