Iberia Talento a bordo Team
Destination: Los Angeles
Iberia, as proof of its unwavering commitment to Spanish sports, has brought together a group of athletes to support them on their path towards the Los Angeles Games. Because by connecting talent from such diverse disciplines as athletics, swimming, cycling, judo, canoeing, sailing, water polo, taekwondo, artistic gymnastics or rowing, we build a team. Do you want to join us?
Iberia’s support for Spanish talent is constant; proof of this is the creation of a new Iberia Talento a bordo Team. For the third time, the company has brought together a group of athletes from different disciplines—both Olympic and Paralympic—who dream of taking part in the next edition of the Games and that are an inspiration to us all. The path to Los Angeles involves a huge sacrifice, and this initiative seeks to support them in their daily efforts. For this reason, the airline will give them a grant and allows them to benefit from the advantages of the Iberia Plus Oro card on their journeys. Also, during the presentation ceremony at Espacio Iberia, hosted by Juan Cierco—Iberia's corporate director— and supported by Pau Gasol—Iberia's ambassador for cultural change—, they received a gift proof of this unwavering commitment. Here are the 14 members of the team.
Sara Andrés - Adaptive Athletics
Sport has always played a key role in the life of Sara Andrés (Madrid, 1986). Before the car accident where she lost both legs, she practiced tennis, karate, or equestrianism. At the age of 25, she found a way of doing what she loves the most again in Paralympic athletics, specifically in the long jump and the 100-metre dash. Since then, she has taken part in three Games—Rio, Tokyo and Paris—and is already thinking about her fourth, Los Angeles, as well as winning medals at several World Championships. And she’s a primary school teacher!
Alfonso Cabello - Adaptive Cycling
Speaking about Alfonso Cabello (La Rambla, 1993) means talking about one of the best Paralympic cyclists in the history of Spain. Literally, the king of track! His impressive track record includes seven Paralympic medals—one gold medal in London, two bronze medals in Rio, one gold and one bronze in Tokyo, and one silver and one bronze in Paris—, all of them for the 1 km time trial and mixed team sprint. Will he win another in LA?
Adriana Cerezo - Taekwondo
At the tender age of 17, Adriana Cerezo (Alcalá de Henares, 2003) became one of the main Spanish protagonists of the Tokyo Games. After her silver medal at the Japanese capital, this taekwondo athlete completed a cycle full of great results—a gold medal at the European in Sofia (2021), a bronze at the European in Manchester (2022), a bronze at the World Championships in Baku (2023) and a gold at the European in Belgrade (2024)—which unfortunately were not reiterated in Paris. After overcoming this disappointment, she’s already thinking about Los Angeles.
Rodrigo Conde - Rowing
The ray of hope for Spanish rowing has a name: Rodrigo Conde (Moaña, 1997). During 2022, this Galician athlete was among the best, both at the European Championships in Račice and the World Championships in Munich, winning a silver medal at each of them in the double scull category. He repeated this result in 2024 at the European Championships in Szeged. Dreaming of a medal, he went to Paris with his teammate Aleix García, but had to settle for a sweet fifth place.
The presentation of the new Iberia Talento a bordo Team was supported by Pau Gasol.
Marcus Cooper - Canoeing
Marcus Cooper (Oxford, 1994) won a gold in Rio (K1 1000) and a silver in Tokyo (K4 500), which made him the male flag bearer of the Spanish delegation in Paris. At the French capital, he filled his particular medal display case with a bronze (K4 500), as well as achieving fourth place (K2 500). Raised in Mallorca, where he trained as a canoeist, his incredible track record also includes three gold medals, four silvers and one bronze medal from World Championships, as well as two gold medals and one silver from European Championships.
Gerard Descarrega - Adaptive 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 metres), a success he ratified in Tokyo. He was unable to extend this streak in Paris because a few months before the big day he tore his Achilles heel. This fan of climbing also became the first blind athlete to hit the summit of Mount Kenya.
Hugo González de Oliveira - Swimming
Hugo González de Oliveira (Palma de Mallorca, 1999) dreamt of climbing the podium in Paris, but he’ll have to wait for Los Angeles. He had reasons to dream, since at the Doha World Championships—held a few months prior—he won the 200 metres back and came second in the 100 metres back. In Paris, in both the 100- and 200-metre finals, this backstroke swimmer came sixth, skimming the medals—34 hundredths of a second from the bronze in 100 metres and 62 hundredths of a second in 200 metres—and achieved two valuable diplomas.
Sarai Gascón - Adaptive Swimming
Sarai Gascón (Terrassa, 1992) extended her medal collection in Paris with a bronze for 4x100 medley relay. Only Australia and the Netherlands beat Spain in a nail-biting final. With six silvers and three bronzes at five Games—Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo, and Paris—, this medal collector is still dreaming about a gold, the only medal missing from her track record. Born without her left hand and forearm, she’s an example of perseverance, which we will bear witness to again in LA.
Antía Jácome - Canoeing
Spanish canoeing in calm waters is in good hands thanks to Antía Jácome (Pontevedra, 1999). It doesn’t matter that she narrowly missed the podium twice in Paris—fourth in C1 200 and sixth in the C2 500 final—after a spectacular cycle: a gold and silver medal at the European Championships in Munich (2022), two silvers at the World Championships in Duisburg (2023) and a gold and silver at the European Championships in Szeged (2024). Undoubtedly, this Galician canoeist is called to follow in the footsteps of her comrade (and role model) Teresa Portela.
The members of Iberia Talento a bordo Team begin their journey to the Los Angeles Games in high spirits.
Silvia Mas - Sailing
In 2021, alongside Patricia Cantero, Silvia Mas (Barcelona, 1996) won the gold medal at the 470 World Championships held in Vilamoura. After this success, they had to settle for 11th place in Tokyo. A setback that got worse when, at the end of that same year, she suffered a serious knee injury. Conditioned by this mishap, this yachtswoman did not qualify for Paris, and instead focused on her role as captain of the BCN Sail Team at the America’s Cup held in Barcelona in 2024.
Bea Ortiz – Water Polo
None other than the best female water polo player in the world in 2024. An award, granted by World Aquatics, which Bea Ortiz (Terrassa, 1995) received after becoming a symbol of the Spanish national team that won gold in Paris. This is how Miki Oca’s girls stepped up their game after their silver in Tokyo. In 2024, she also won a bronze medal at the Doha World Championships and a silver at the European Championships in Eindhoven, as well as winning the Champions League with her club, Natació Sabadell.
María Pérez - Athletics
One of the winners on the Spanish national team in Paris was María Pérez (Orce, 1996), thanks to the gold medal she won for 20-km race walking and the silver medal alongside Álvaro Martín for mixed relay. As a reward, she became a flag bearer during the closing ceremony. This race walker is dominating the discipline, as she proved in the World Championships in Budapest in 2023, where she won in both the 20- and 50-km categories. And her streak continues because in 2025 she contributed a silver medal to the female team in the European Championships.
Niko Shera - Judo
The efforts made by Niko Shera (Tiflis, 1996), who during his training had to overcome a serious knee injury, and did so in spades, winning a bronze medal at the European Championships in Montpellier (2023) and a bronze in the Abu Dhabi World Championships (2024), were not rewarded in Paris. This Spanish judoka of Georgian origin narrowly missed the podium after losing against the Uzbek Turoboyev. This two-time world champion (2018 and 2021) could not hide his disappointment, but has already set his sights on Los Angeles.
Ray Zapata - Artistic Gymnastics
Born in the Dominican Republic and settled in Spain at the age of ten, Ray Zapata (Santo Domingo, 1993) is one of the best gymnasts in the world in the floor exercise discipline. He proved this again in Paris, where he came seventh after qualifying for the final with the third-best score. Despite not being able to repeat the silver he won in Tokyo—a medal that was not a gold because of a tiebreaker rule—, this gymnast was satisfied with his performance after an eventful cycle.
