Gustavo Nieves facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||
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| Nationality | Spanish | |||||||
| Born | 9 March 1982 Vilalba, Lugo, Spain |
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| Sport | ||||||||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Sport | Track and field (T12) | |||||||
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Medal record
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Gustavo Nieves Campello, born on March 9, 1982, is a Spanish Paralympic athlete. He competes in track and field events. Gustavo has a visual impairment, meaning he can't see very well. When he was 17, he suddenly lost his vision. This led him to switch from playing football to becoming a runner.
He first competed in a race in 1998. Since then, he has taken part in many big competitions. These include the IPC European and World Championships. Gustavo has also represented Spain at the Paralympic Games. He competed in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016.
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About Gustavo
Gustavo Nieves was born on March 9, 1982, in Vilalba, Lugo, Spain. Soon after he was born, his parents moved to Germany. Gustavo came back to Spain when he was five years old. His father stayed in Germany.
Gustavo has a visual impairment. He suddenly lost his sight when he was 17 years old. Doctors are not sure why this happened. Before losing his vision, he loved playing football. He was a midfielder for a team called Sárdoma. He even tried out for a bigger team, Celta de Vigo. After his vision changed, he stopped playing football.
Between 2004 and 2012, Gustavo studied at the University of Vigo. He trained to become a mining engineer. He first wanted to study biology. But his vision problems meant he could not use a microscope. So, he changed his study plans. Gustavo can also speak English well. This helps him communicate at sports events.
Gustavo's Athletics Career
Gustavo Nieves is a T12/B2 track and field athlete. These classifications are for athletes with visual impairments. He started running when he was 17, after his vision changed. No one in his family was an athlete. He began running for fun in a park.
His first official race was the Vigo half marathon in 1998. He joined the Celta Vigo athletics club. Later, he moved to the Gymnastic Society of Pontevedra club. He then joined the Alejandro Gomez Athletics Club.
Early Paralympic Games
Gustavo competed in the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. He finished sixth in the 10,000-meter race. He did not compete in the 2004 Summer Paralympics. During that time, he focused on his studies. He wanted to get a job because athletics did not pay enough. After 2004, more money became available for Paralympic athletes. This allowed him to spend more time on his sport.
Achievements and World Records
In 2008, Gustavo won the 10,000-meter T12 race at the Spanish national championships. He then competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. After these Games, he started working with a new coach, Pablo Diaz. He also joined the Gymnastic Society of Pontevedra club again.
In 2009, Gustavo had a great year. He won two gold medals and one silver medal at the IPC European Athletics Championships. He set a new world record in the 10,000 meters. His second gold was in the 5,000 meters. He won silver in the 1,500 meters. He also set a world record in the T12 10,000-meter event in Galicia.
In 2010, Gustavo set another world record in the T12 10,000-meter race. He then broke his own record just 40 days later. This happened at a race in Jerez de la Frontera. In 2011, he got an injury in his left foot. He recovered by training in a swimming pool. He started competing again in late 2011.
Road to London 2012
In 2012, Gustavo received a scholarship to help with his training. He trained up to four hours a day. Before the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, he trained with other visually impaired Spanish athletes. He won the 4,500-meter race at the 2012 San Silvestre Candelaria. He also won the 5,000 meters at the Spanish national Paralympic athletic championships.
Just before the London Paralympics, Gustavo had some tendon problems. He decided not to compete in the 2012 European Championships to rest. The city of Pontevedra held a special ceremony to honor him before he left for the Games. At the 2012 Paralympics, he finished fourth in the 5,000 meters. His time was only 4 seconds slower than his best.
Future Goals
Gustavo competed in the 2013 San Silvestre Candelaria race again. In May 2013, he tried to qualify for the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France. He aimed to compete in the 5,000-meter race. Later that month, he tried to qualify for the 10,000-meter race in Huesca. Gustavo's goal is to keep training and compete in the 2016 Summer Paralympics and beyond.
