Sebastián Rodríguez Veloso (Spanish pronunciation:[seβasˈtjanroˈðɾiɣeθ]; born on 27 February 1957) is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer. He has competed at four Paralympic Games winning fifteen medals: eight gold, four silver and three bronze. His attendance at the Games was controversial after it was revealed that he had been jailed for bomb attacks while a member of First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO).
Early life and criminal activities
Rodríguez was born in Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain on 27 February 1957.[1][2] He is nicknamed Chano.[3]
In the 1980s he was a member of the Spanish terrorist organisation First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (Spanish: Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre, GRAPO).[4][5] In 1984, at the age of 26, he was jailed for 84 years for his role in the murder of Seville business leader Rafael Padura and a series of bomb attacks.[2][4][6]
In 1990 while in prison he went on hunger strike for 432 days, leaving his health permanently damaged and resulting in him losing the use of his legs.[2][4][6][7] He was released on parole from prison in 1994 under a Spanish law which says that the seriously ill should not be jailed, and in 2007 he was pardoned by the Spanish Government.[2][4][6]
Swimming
Rodríguez is an S5 swimmer.[8] In his swimming career, he has earned over 20 total medals.[6] His training base is Vigo.[3]
In 2010, Rodríguez competed at the Tenerife International Open.[9] Rodríguez competed at the 2010 Adapted Swimming World Championship in the Netherlands. In advance of the competition, he attended a swimming camp with the national team that was part of the Paralympic High Performance Program (HARP Program).[10] He competed at the 2011 IPC European Swimming Championships in Berlin, Germany. He earned a gold medal. He almost finished first in the 4x50 meter freestyle relay with teammates Richard Oribe, Alvaro Bayona and Jordi Gordillo but a bad touch led to disqualification.[11][12][13] He competed at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships.[3][14][15]
Paralympics
Rodríguez first competed at the Paralympics at the 2000 Sydney Games. He took part having told Spanish officials that he lost his legs in a traffic accident,[7] but he lost his leg during a hunger strike during its years in prison.[16] He won five gold medals at the Games and set four new world records.[5] Three of his golds came in individual freestyle events in the S5 classification, as he set world records in the 50 metres,[17] 100 metres[18] and 200 metres.[19] He also won gold medals as part of the Spanish relay teams in the 4×50 m freestyle 20 pts and the 4×50 m medley 20 pts, setting a new world record in the freestyle relay.[20][21] The truth about how he came to be disabled was revealed by a Spanish newspaper during the Games, which led to calls for him to return his medals;[2] however, his participation was backed by politicians from his home town.[5]
At the 2004 Summer Paralympics held in Athens, Greece, Rodriguez won a further three gold medals. He successfully defended his titles in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m freestyle events, setting new world records in the final of each event.[22][23][24]
In 2008 he competed in his third Paralympics at the Beijing Games in China. Rodríguez won four medals: silvers in the 200 m freestyle and the 4×50 m freestyle 20 pts,[25][26] and bronze medals in the 50 m freestyle and the 4×50 m medley relay 20 pts.[27][28][29]
^"Men's 100m Freestyle — S5". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
^"Men's 200m Freestyle — S5". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
