Iberia Talento a bordo Team
The Goal: Paris
Iberia, as part of its Talento a bordo initiative, has brought together a team of 13 athletes to support them on their path towards the Paris Games. From emerging to renowned talents, from taekwondo to climbing, from Cáceres to Barcelona, this diverse group is an inspiration to all.
Iberia supports Spanish sports, proof of this is the creation of the Iberia Talento a bordo Team. A group of athletes from less visible disciplines like sailing, canoeing, or judo, among others, who have already set their sights on the next Games and Paralympics. The path to Paris is not easy, it involves many hours of training and hard work. With this initiative, Iberia aims to support them and encourage them in their daily efforts. In short, for their talent to take flight. So, the company will give them a grant and, they’ll also benefit from the advantages of the Iberia Plus Oro card on their journeys.
Creating this team is part of the airline’s Talento a bordo project, a strong commitment to supporting and promoting different aspects of Spanish culture and sport internationally. During the team’s presentation, Javier Sánchez-Prieto, president of Iberia, acknowledged that these athletes are a great inspiration for the company itself and how proud he is to support them. He also recalled that this initiative has a successful precedent, as five members of the team won medals in Tokyo.
To get to know the different members of the team better, Iberia has started a six-episode series (The Goal: París) during which the athletes will meet up and share their hopes and dreams, but also their worries and concerns on their path to Games. But, before that, we need to introduce you to the twelve members of the Iberia Talento a bordo Team.
Silvia Mas (Sailing)
With the wind in her sails, that’s how the career of Silvia Mas (Barcelona, 1996) has advanced since she started competing in the Optimist category in 2011 until she, alongside Patricia Cantero, won the gold medal at the 470 World Championship held in Vilamoura (Portugal) in 2021. After that success, she suffered a serious knee injury from which she has already fully recovered.
Alberto Ginés (Climbing)
Sports climbing made its debut at the Tokyo Games and Alberto Ginés (Cáceres, 2002) made history by becoming the first to win in this discipline. At just 18! Ratifying his title in Paris will be no easy feat, but his mental strength, acquired since he started climbing when he was three and reinforced when he had to leave his family at the age of 15 to move to Sant Cugat, will be his main ally.
Irene Sánchez Escribano (Athletics)
Obstacles are part of the life of Irene Sánchez Escribano (Toledo, 1992), and we don’t just mean the ones she has to overcome, in the form of hurdles or water pits every time she competes in the 3000m steeplechase, but also the injury —a fracture to her left foot— that left her at the doors of the Tokyo Games. A major blow the athlete hopes to make up for in Paris.
Ray Zapata (Artistic Gymnastics)
Born in the Dominican Republic, Ray Zapata (Santo Domingo, 1993) is one of the best gymnasts in the world in the floor exercise discipline. The silver medal he won at the Tokyo Games confirms this. A silver that wasn’t gold because of a tie breaker rule —the Israeli Dolgopiat achieved the same mark: 14.933—. In Paris, this Spanish-Dominican athlete is looking for a rematch.
Rodrigo Conde (Rowing)
The rising star of Spanish rowing has a name: Rodrigo Conde (Moaña, 1997). In 2022, this Galician athlete was on par with the best both at the European Championships in Račice and at the World Championships in Munich by winning silver medals in the double scull category. He repeated this result in 2024 at the European Championships in Szeged. His dream, this time, is to win a gold medal in Paris.
Hugo González de Oliveira (Swimming)
The everyday life of Hugo González de Oliveira (Palma de Mallorca, 1999) is based in the United States, where he studies computer engineering and is training to become one of the best swimmers in the world. In 2021, he proved his potential by winning three medals at the European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, but he received worldwide acclaim at the World Championships in Doha in 2024, where he was proclaimed world champion in 200-metre back.
Silvia Más and Diego Gª Carrera meet in Vigo for the first episode of 'The Goal: Paris'.
Taekwondist Adriana Cerezo and swimmer Hugo González are the protagonists of the second chapter of 'The Goal: Paris'.
Ray Zapata and Alberto Ginés show us how alike and different they are in the third episode of 'The Goal: Paris'.
Sarai Gascón and Antía Jácome share their impressions in the fourth episode of 'The Goal: París'.
Rodrigo Conde and Gerard Descarrega, together with their guide, Willow, in the fifth episode of 'The Goal: París'.
Irene Sánchez-Escribano and Niko Shera face to face in the sixth episode of 'The Goal: Paris'.
Niko Shera (Judo)
After the disappointment he experienced in Tokyo, where he finished in seventh place despite arriving as world champion and ranking number one, Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (Tiflis, 1996) suffered another setback due to an injury. After a long recovery that kept him off the tatami for months, at the end of 2023 this judoka stepped onto the podium again by winning a bronze medal at the European Championships in Montpellier.
Antía Jácome (Canoeing)
Spanish canoeing in calm waters can remain so thanks to the figure of Antía Jácome (Pontevedra, 1999). This Galician canoeist, who won gold at the 2022 European Championships in Munich and silver at the 2023 World Championships in Duisburg, will reach Paris as one of the queens in her speciality, willing to follow the trail of other great Spanish female canoeists, like Teresa Portela or Maialen Chourraut.
Gerard Descarrega (Paralympic Athletics)
When he was four, Gerard Descarrega (Reus, 1994) was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, which made him gradually lose his eyesight. But no adversity will stop him... In 2016, he won the gold medal at the Rio Paralympics (400 m), a success he ratified in Tokyo. A fan of hiking, he became the first blind athlete to hit the summit of Mount Kenya.
Adriana Cerezo (Taekwondo)
At the tender age of 17, Adriana Cerezo (Alcalá de Henares, 2003) became one of the main protagonists in the Spanish expedition during the Tokyo Games. After winning silver at the Japanese capital, this taekwondo athlete has become a regular on the podiums: gold at the European Championships in Sofia (2021), bronze at the European Championships in Manchester (2022), and bronze at the World Championships in Baku (2023), to mention some of her successes.
Diego García Carrera (Athletics)
Race walking always bring joy to Spanish sport. As it happens, at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, this discipline won three medals including the bronze by Diego García Carrera (Madrid, 1996) in the 20-km walk category. This walker, who made 6th place in Tokyo (diploma), will reach Paris at his full sporting potential and he aspires to everything.
Sarai Gascón (Paralympic Swimming)
Sarai Gascón (Terrasa, 1992) has eight Paralympic medals —six silvers and two bronzes— on her track record. Her collection is just missing one metal, the gold she’s hoping to win at the Paris Paralympics, the fifth Games in her career —this Catalan athlete made her debut at the age of 16 in Beijing in 2008, where she brought home a silver medal—. Born without her left hand and forearm, she’s an example of perseverance.
Marcus Cooper (Canoeing)
Marcus Cooper (Oxford, 1994), who won a gold in Rio (K1 1000) and silver in Tokyo (K4 500), will be the male flag bearer of the Spanish delegation at the Paris Games. Raised in Mallorca, where he trained as a canoeist, over time he has collected a spectacular track record: three golds, four silvers and one bronze from World Championships, which are added to two golds and one silver from European Championships.
