Loida Zabala Ollero

Loida Zabala Ollero (born 5 April 1987) is a Spanish disability powerlifter who has represented Spain at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Zabala and the second or maternal family name is Ollero.

Loida Zabala Ollero

Personal information
Nationality	Spanish
Born	5 April 1987 (1987-04-05) (age 33) Losar de la Vera, Cáceres, Spain
Sport
Country	Spain
Sport	Powerlifting

Personal

Zabala was born in Losar de la Vera, Cáceres.[1][2][3][4] The loss of use of her legs was very sudden, and occurred when she was eleven years old as a result of transverse myelitis.[1] She got her drivers license when she was 18 years old.[5] In 2012, she lived in Oviedo.[2] She moved to Oviedo around Easter in 2007 in order to better train for her sport.[1] She has studied Administration and Finance, and Computers.[1] She has three cats named Alessia, Pug and Cefe.[6] In 2011, she participated in the creation of a charity calendar for the Association to Protect Adopted Animals (Spanish: Asociación Protectora de Animales Adoptastur), an organization that has helped a number Spanish Sports Federation for Persons with Physical Disabilities of Asturias, sportspeople.[6] In early 2012, she had viral infection that negatively impacted her physically.[5]

Powerlifting

Zabala got into weight training as a way of dealing with being tired all the time.[5] She started more seriously after going to Toledo when she was 18 after someone told her about it and she met her future coach, Lodario Ramón.[5][7] One day, she would like to become a powerlifting coach because she believes winning can come down to having the right technique.[5] She has said she thinks she will retire from the sport when she is 35 or 40 years old.[5]

In 2006, Zabala wanted to train with the best, and so she made contact with Lodario Ramón Ramón who then became her coach.[1] She moved to be closer to him.[5] In her first competition, she lifted 45 kilograms.[1] Her first international competition was in Greece in 2006 where she picked up a gold medal.[5] Competing at the 2007 Spanish National Championships, she won the event and set a national record.[4] She would go on to win the national championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.[5][8] At the 2007 European Championships, she finished seventh.[1] In 2008, she trained at the Sports Palace (Spanish: Palacio de los Deportes) where she was coached by Ramón.[1] Competing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, she finished in seventh.[4][9] The Beijing Paralympics were her first,[5] and, as a 21-year-old, she was the first woman to represent Spain at the Paralympics in this sport.[7][10] Going into the Games, she had a goal of lifting 85 kilograms and getting a Paralympic diploma.[1]

In May 2012, Zabala was on the shortlist of Spanish sportspeople from Asturias likely to compete at the London Paralympics.[2] In June 2012, Sant Pedor, Barcelona hosted the Spain Powerlifting Championship which she won in the less than 52 kilogram class. She won on a third lift of 100 kilograms after having lifts of 96 and 98 kilograms in her first two attempts. In the process, she set a new Spanish record.[11] Going to London, she had set a personal goal to lift more than 100 kilograms.[2] In London, she was coached by Lodario Ramón Ramón,[12] while competing in the up to 48 kilogram class.[12][13] She finished in fifth place.[14] At the 2013 IPC European Championships in Russia, she was coached by Antonio Arranz.[15] She finished the competition with a bronze medal following a lift of 96 kilograms.[14][16] In order to qualify for the Rio Games, she is required to compete in at least one international event between 2013 and 2016.[15]

References

1. "Loida aprendió rápido en Oviedo — La Nueva España — Diario Independiente de Asturias" (in Spanish). Spain: La Nueva España. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
2. "Solidaridad Digital — Cinco deportistas de Asturias, en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Londres" (in Spanish). Spain: Solidaridaddigital.es. 31 May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
3. "Juegos Paralímpicos Londres 2012" (in Spanish). Spain: MARCA.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
4. "Deportes | Juegos Olímpicos | Estrellas" (in Spanish). Spain: elmundo.es. 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
5. "Loida Zabala, levantadora paralímpica | Vivir Extremadura" (in Spanish). Spain: Vivirextremadura.es. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
6. "Presentación del Calendario Solidario Adoptastur 2011" (in Spanish). Spain: Esto es DxT. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
7. "Deportes | Juegos Paralímpicos | Loida Zabala: Una 'heavy' que ha hecho historia" (in Spanish). Spain: elmundo.es. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
8. Redacción Badajoz (2013-06-26). "La cacereña Loida Zabala, campeona de España de halterofilia" (in Spanish). Spain: Hoy.es. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
9. "Discreta actuación de los paralímpicos españoles" (in Spanish). Spain: AS.com. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
10. "Loida Zabala HALTEROFILIA : Sobradamente adaptada para lo alto — Deportes — El Periódico Extremadura" (in Spanish). Spain: Elperiodicoextremadura.com. 2012-08-29. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
11. "Loida Zabala bate por tres veces el récord de España" (in Spanish). Spain: Hoy.es. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
12. "Maestro de halterofilia — Deportes — Diario de León" (in Spanish). Spain: Diariodeleon.es. 2012-08-25. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
13. "Loida Zabala se queda muy cerca del podio en halterofilia, Telediario — RTVE.es A la Carta" (in Spanish). Spain: Rtve.es. 2012-09-01. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
14. "Loida Zabala, bronce en el Campeonato de Europa" (in Spanish). Spain: MARCA.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
15. "El Campeonato de Europa de Halterofilia se celebrarĂĄ del 22 al 28 de mayo" (in Spanish). Spain: dxtadaptado.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
16. "La extremeña Loida Zabala, bronce en el Europeo de Halterofilia Paralímpica — ABC.es — Noticias Agencias" (in Spanish). Spain: ABC.es. 2013-05-24. Retrieved 27 December 2013.