Manuel Ángel Martín facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Manolo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Spanish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 January 1980 (age 45) Pórtugos, Granada, Spain |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Sport | Boccia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | BC2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Manuel Ángel Martín Pérez, often called Manolo Martín, was born on January 30, 1980, in Pórtugos, Spain. He is a talented Spanish athlete who plays boccia. Boccia is a sport similar to bowls or pétanque, designed for athletes with severe physical disabilities. Manolo has cerebral palsy, which affects his movement. He competes in the BC2 category, meaning he can throw the ball with his hand.
Manolo has won several medals for Spain. He earned two bronze medals at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, England.
Contents
Manolo Martín's Boccia Journey
Manolo Martín is a skilled boccia player in the BC2 class. This means he can use his hands to throw the boccia ball. His journey in boccia has been supported by groups like Granada CF and the "Hazlo por todos" sports foundation. He is a member of the Amics de la Boccia club.
Early Competitions and Medals
In 2009, Manolo competed at the European Championships in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. He won a silver medal in the individual competition. He also helped his team win a bronze medal in the team event.
The next year, in June 2010, he went to the World Championships in Lisbon. There, he earned a bronze medal in the team competition.
Spanish National Championships
In June 2011, Manolo took part in the Spanish Boccia Club Championship in Elche, Spain. He represented ASPACE Granada, Andalucía. He finished second in the individual BC2 event, showing his strong skills.
Road to the Paralympics
Manolo also competed in the Boccia World Championships in August 2011. This event was very important because it helped athletes qualify for the London Paralympic Games.
In January 2012, Manolo joined a special boccia training camp. This camp was organized by Spanish sports federations for athletes with disabilities. It helped prepare 25 boccia players from all over Spain for the London Paralympics.
He then competed in the Spanish national championships in June 2012. Later that year, he proudly represented Spain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. He played well but lost a close game in the round of 16.
Recent Achievements
In 2013, Manolo competed in the International Boccia Championships Pecanins Roser. He was part of the "rest of Spain" team. This event was a warm-up for the European Championships.
Manolo won the BC2 individual event against Zoe Robinson from Great Britain with a score of 11–4. He also beat Benito Sánchez from Catalonia. These wins helped him reach the final, where he played against his Spanish national teammate, Pedro Cordero Martin. Manolo won that match 3-2.
In June 2013, he was part of Spain's team at the European Championships in Guimaraes, Portugal. By October 2013, Manolo was ranked as Spain's top competitor in his BC2 class. His team, which included Vicente Lletí, Raul Martí, and Sabrina Balen, was ranked number one in Spain.
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Ángel Martín para niños
