Alfonso Cabello

When Alfonso Cabello (La Rambla, Córdoba, 1993) took part in his first cycling race, he came last. The condescending looks this child without a left forearm (a birth defect) received stoked his fire. “When I was little, there were things I wasn’t supposed to be able to do or that I wouldn’t be good at, and that grated me. It didn’t make sense. Being considered incapable or being ogled at for being different turned into fuel for me, it gave me energy and inspired me to give my all.” This is how Alfonso got used to setting himself challenges, which he has overcome and has ended up becoming one of the best para-cyclists in the world. A testament to this are his seven Paralympic medals: two golds, one silver and four bronzes won at four Games—London, Río, Tokyo and Paris. And he has already set his sights on his fifth Games: Los Angeles. First, he will try to proclaim himself world champion in Río de Janeiro (16^th-19^th of October). He confesses that consistency and confidence are the traits that have made him a great athlete. They also work well for the new challenges he sets himself as a fan of engines and mechanics: “I’m sure there are people who believe that I can’t do it with my disability, but hopefully one day I can take part in a Spanish Championship Enduro race. Or a Dakar rally! One can dream… I’d love it. I’d also inspire lots of people and that’s also really rewarding.”

How did cycling come into your life and what pushed you to compete against others, despite your disability?
I was really active as a child, my parents used to sign me up to all sports to calm me down. I enjoyed and was good at swimming, but one day a neighbour lent me his bike so that I could take part in the village race. I was the only disabled child and I came last, but it was such an adrenaline rush. Everything on wheels has always captured my attention, it’s my passion! I got bitten by the bug and started training regularly. Over time, I improved, so much so that I would beat non-disabled children. Until today.

You always say cycling has been more than a sport for you. In which sense?
Paralympic cycling doesn’t arrange athletes by age, but rather by type of disability. At the age of 16, I started training with much older cyclists. I was the youngest on the Spanish team, the next was 30 years old, so I grew up surrounded by values and rules that shaped me as an athlete and as a person. Cycling has been a school of life for me, and it has shaped my personality. If I hadn’t practiced sports, I wouldn’t have been surrounded by such top-level athletes from such a young age, and the way I think or act in my day-to-day life would be different.

“As a child I was really insecure, in part due to my disability, but thanks to this sport I gained confidence. I understood that if you really want something, you have to go for it”

What qualities do you think have made you a great athlete?
Confidence and consistency. Those are the most important traits for me. As a child I was really insecure, in part due to my disability, but thanks to this sport I gained confidence. I understood that if you really want something, you have to go for it. Trying doesn’t guarantee you’ll succeed, but if you don’t even try… In the end, the people who meet their goals try again and again. So, as I was saying, I would highlight consistency, self-sacrifice, and self-confidence, and I owe that to sport.

So, what is talent for you?
My idea of talent has changed over the years. At the beginning, I thought it was something you were born with. I thought great champions like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps had something innate that enabled them to reach the top, but now I believe that talent is formed slowly. So, for me, talent is more related to perseverance, and that’s true in any field. Being talented requires a lot of effort and it’s hard to achieve, but it’s within everyone’s grasp.

You’ve won seven Paralympic medals at four consecutive Games. How does such a track record make you feel?
I only recently learnt how to savour triumphs. Although it may seem strange, they escaped me for a long time. I’ve always enjoyed taking one day at a time, trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground. In the end, all the athletes I compete against want to be number one. And only one of us can be that person. I’m aware that one day someone more competitive will show up and beat me. I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved because there have been four consecutive Paralympic cycles of stepping on the podium. With time, I’ve learnt to value that and enjoy the moment. Now I’m energised for my journey towards my fifth Games.

Alfonso Cabello has a street and a sports centre with his name in his hometown, La Rambla (Córdoba). © Courtesy of Go Sharing Dreams

What message would you send young people with disabilities who see you and dream of following in your footsteps?
It’s hard… If I saw myself from the outside I would think how difficult it is to win a Paralympic medal and the amount of effort it takes to achieve that. Perhaps I would see it as a pipe dream, but the message I would like to convey is that, if you really want it and you’re willing to put in the work and be consistent, it’s possible. I’ve done it and I’m not a superhero born with innate cycling qualities. I’m just a hard worker who fights to be better every day and that works for any aspect of life. We should give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, which we seldom do.

A few years ago, you set yourself the challenge of competing against non-disabled athletes. Is it the toughest challenge you have faced?
Probably. I’m very hard on myself and always want to give my all to be as high as possible. Facing the best non-disabled cyclists in Spain one-to-one at a national championship was a tough challenge and it went well. I managed to step on the podium for three consecutive years and, in the team sprint category, we won. A milestone for anyone with disabilities. I proved to myself that being different doesn’t make me less capable than anyone else and that was very satisfying.

“Being talented requires a lot of effort and it’s hard to achieve, but it’s within everyone’s grasp”

You spent a year and a half without competing due to the effects of long COVID. Was it the toughest moment in your sporting career?
Undoubtedly. Like any athlete, I’ve suffered from injuries—some more serious than others—, but nothing like what I experienced with COVID. I won the Tokyo Games and was in great shape, and I suddenly fell ill. I had COVID and everything changed. I felt that something wasn’t right in my body, so I stopped for a reasonable period of time. When I went back to training, I felt extremely fatigued and had to pull out of the World Championships in 2022. In the end, I spent almost a year without getting on my bike. I even wondered if I’d ever be the same again… I had to start from scratch and had lots of doubts, but I decided to go ahead. It was tough, but I won two medals at the Paris Games and, even though I would have liked to win gold, I consider this a very positive result.

Paralympic athletes are not so widely recognised; do you wish this were different?
Yes, but it’s part of the process. Ten years ago, Paralympic sports were unknown to most people. Whereas now, there is greater recognition among the population. We’re becoming better known, both socially and in the media, and even though there’s a long way to go, we’re on the right track. People already consider us elite athletes. There will come the time, and I hope I get to see it, when people just talk about athletes without labels, leaving aside adjectives that make some more and others less.

You always say that your life is about overcoming challenges. Which ones are on your horizon?
I have a thorn in my side about not having enough time to thoroughly prepare for the Paris Games for different reasons, including COVID as we were saying. I think I can do a much better job and now my main goal is the Los Angeles Games. Obviously, I want to achieve a great result at the Río de Janeiro World Championships, but there’s nothing I find more motivating than the Games. They are my next challenge and I’m going to give my all during these years.