Gustavo Nieves

Gustavo Nieves Campello (born March 9, 1982) is a Spanish T12/B2 Paralympic athlete.[1] Losing his vision suddenly at 17, he left the sport of football for athletics. He first raced competitively in 1998 Vigo half marathon. He went on to compete at IPC European and World Championships. He also competed at the 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Paralympics, but did not medal in any of these Games.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Nieves and the second or maternal family name is Campello.
Gustavo Nieves
Personal information
Full nameGustavo Nieves Campello
NationalitySpanish
Born (1982-03-09) March 9, 1982
Vilalba, Lugo, Spain
Sport
Country Spain
SportTrack and field (T12)
Medal record
IPC European Championships
2014 Swansea 5000m - T13

Personal

Nieves was born on March 9, 1982[2] in Vilalba, Lugo.[3][4] Shortly after his birth, his parents emigrated to Germany. His father remained in Germany and was still there as of 2009,[5] but Gustavo Nieves returned to Spain when he was five years old.[5]

Nieves has a disability: he has partial vision. He lost his vision when he was 17 years old.[4] The onset of vision loss was sudden and unexpected,[5] and there is no clear reason why or if his vision will continue to deteriorate.[6] Prior to that, he played football as a midfielder for Sárdoma in Spain's División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol, and had tried out for Celta de Vigo.[6] He quit the sport following the vision loss.[5]

In the period between 2004 and 2012, Nieves was a student training to be a mining engineer at the University of Vigo.[4][6][7][8] His initial preference was to study biology but his vision issues meant he could not use a microscope, so he made the academic program switch.[6] He has a functional proficiency in English, and is able to argue with people in the language at athletic events.[9]

Athletics

Nieves is a T12/B2 track and field athlete,[3][4] who took up athletics at the age of 17 following sudden onset vision loss. With no one in his family having participated in the sport, he initially started the sport casually by running at a park in Castrelos Vigo.[5] His first competitive race was the 1998 Vigo half marathon.[5] He was a member of the Celta Vigo athletics club,[5] then joined the Gymnastic Society of Pontevedra athletic club.[4][10][11] before leaving the club to join the Alejandro Gomez Athletics Club.[11][12]

Nieves competed in the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia[7] where he finished sixth in the 10,000 meter race.[5] He focused on his educational work in 2004 and did not compete 2004 Summer Paralympics. He was trying to get the credentials that would enable him to get a job as athletics did not provide enough money for him to live off the sport.[6] Following the 2004 Games, more money was made available to Paralympic athletes and he was able to dedicate more time to the sport.[6]

Competing at the 2008 Spanish national championships, Nieves finished first in the 10,000 meter T12 race.[3][13] He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China.[3][7] Following the 2008 Games, he switched coaches to Pablo Diaz and joined Gymnastic Society of Pontevedra athletic club.[5] He based his 2009 training in Pontevedra and Lugo, where he continued to be coached by Pablo Diaz.[7] During the season, he had a goal of trying to prepare for qualifying for the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[14] He competed in the 2009 Spanish national athletics championships.[15] At the 2009 IPC European Athletics Championships, he won two gold medals and one silver medal while setting a world record in the 10,000 meters. His second gold was in the 5,000 meters and the silver was in the 1,500 meters.[4][14] In 2009, he set a world record in the T12 10,000 meter event during a race in Galicia.[7]

In 2010, Nieves set a world record in the T12 10,000 meter race and then bettered his own world record 40 days later at a race in Jerez de la Frontera.[16] He competed in the 2011 Pontevedra half marathon.[17][18] In 2011, he injured the third metatarsal of the left foot as a result of athletics. His physical therapy following the injury involved training in the pool. He started competing again after the injury-imposed break in late September 2011 at a race in Berlin.[8] In 2012, he was a recipient of a Plan ADO €2,500 coaching scholarship.[19]

In March 2012, Nieves was training up to four hours a day at the Galician Sports Modernization Center (CGTD).[9] Prior to the start of the London Games, he trained with several other visually impaired Spanish track and field athletes in Logroño.[20] He finished first in the 2012 San Silvestre Candelaria 4,500 meter race.[12] He competed at the 2012 Spanish national Paralympic athletic championships where he came in first in the 5,000 meters.[21] A few months prior to the London Paralympics, he had problems with his tendons.[21] He opted to not compete in the 2012 European Championships as a result.[21] The city of Pontevedra held a sending off ceremony prior to the start of the Games where Nieves was honoured.[22] He raced at the 2012 Summer Paralympics,[3] finishing fourth in the 5,000 meters. His time was 4 seconds slower than his personal best.[10]

Nieves competed in the 2013 San Silvestre Candelaria 4,500 meter race.[23] In May 2013, he was attempting to qualify at the Kern Sauleda Pharme-Grand Prix for the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France in the 5,000 meter race.[11] Later that month, he attempted to qualify for the World Championships in the 10,000 meter race at a race in Huesca.[24] Nieves has a goal of trying to qualify for and compete in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.[6]

References
  1. "Paralimpiadas - Deportista: Gustavo Nieves Campello". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. Some sources, including Romano (2012) and La Voz de Galicia (June 13, 2009), indicate that he was born in 1984.
  3. "Biografías" (in Spanish). Spain: Comité Paralímpico Español. 2012. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  4. "Gustavo Nieves, campeón europeo de 10.000 con récord del mundo". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. June 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  5. "Plusmarquista en superación". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  6. Nino Soto (March 3, 2012). "Una medalla para coronarse". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. "Gustavo Nieves establece un nuevo récord mundial paralímpico en el gallego de 10.000 metros". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. 2009-01-30. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  8. "Víctimas de la fractura de estrés". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  9. Nino Soto. "¿Para comer? Una cerveza, hamburguesa y patatas". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  10. — 04 septiembre 2012. "Cuarto puesto de Gustavo Nieves en los Paralímpicos | Sociedad Gimnastica de Pontevedra" (in Spanish). Spain: Sgpontevedra.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  11. pontevedra / la voz. "Gustavo Nieves busca hoy el pase para el Campeonato del Mundo en 5.000 metros". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  12. "Gustavo Nieves venció en Candelaria" (in Spanish). Spain: Eldia.es. 2012-12-30. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  13. "Atletas ciegos preparan en Logroño su participación en Londres 2012 — Web de la ONCE" (in Spanish). Once.es. 2008-09-16. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  14. "Dacal, Okutu y Nieves ya empiezan a soñar con las Olimpiadas de Londres". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  15. "Cinco andaluces se coronan campeones de España en Jerez" (in Spanish). Diariodejerez.es. 2009-03-24. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  16. "Gustavo Nieves tardó 40 días en batir su propio récord mundial de 10.000". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  17. "Competirán, entre otros, Rafael Fuentes, Gustavo Nieves y Fátima Pérez". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  18. "El domingo, pese a la lluvia, el ambiente fue distendido". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  19. "Becas A Entrenadores Del Plan Adop 2012" (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  20. "Atletas paralímpicos con discapacidad visual se entrenan en Logroño - Canal de Vídeos de" (in Spanish). Spain: Larioja.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  21. pontevedra / la voz. "Nieves gana en los 5.000 y decide preparar solo el Paralímpico 2012". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  22. Romano, Alejandro D. (August 2, 2012). "La hora de los paralímpicos". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  23. "Jonay González consolida su reinado" (in Spanish). Spain: Eldia.es. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  24. pontevedra / la voz. "Gustavo Nieves busca ahora clasificarse para el Mundial en 10.000 metros". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
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