Kini Carrasco

Joaquín "Kini" Carrasco Ávila (born 16 January 1965)[1] is a Spanish politician and former parathlete.

Carrasco played basketball for Cáceres CB until he lost his left arm in a traffic accident in 1985. He then took up para-athletics and competed in the 100 metres at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1988, 1992 and 2000. He then switched to long-distance running, including the paratriathlon that was introduced in 2009. In 2023, he became the first competitor in 100 international paratriathlons, and he retired in 2024.

Carrasco was elected to the Assembly of Extremadura in the 2025 regional election, as second place on the People's Party (PP) list in the Cáceres constituency.

Sporting career

Carrasco was born in Cáceres in Extremadura. He played basketball for Cáceres CB, making the first team by age 16 and playing in the second division.[2][3] On 30 January 1985, he was riding a dirt bike to Malpartida de Cáceres to go fishing, when he was hit by an overtaking car, losing his left arm instantly. A nurse was driving by and made a tourniquet from Carrasco's coat before driving him to hospital, fully conscious. The wound on his stump was left open for five days to clean debris. On 14 February, he was discharged.[4]

Carrasco was encouraged by disability organisations to continue playing basketball, but instead chose to dedicate himself to para-athletics. He practiced the 100 metres and qualified for the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona; he described the latter as a watershed for disability sport in his country. He missed the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta due to what he described as an administrative decision, but competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.[4] At the last of these tournaments, he took part in the 4 × 100 metres relay and finished fourth, his best Olympic performance.[4][5]

Following the 2000 Paralympics, Carrasco switched to long-distance running and achieved a marathon time of 3 hours and 28 minutes. In 2009, the paratriathlon was introduced.[4] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, he was eligible as an elite athlete to train outside during lockdown, but was insulted for doing so.[6] In October 2023, aged 58, he became the first paratriathlete to contest 100 international events.[3] He came 7th at his 100th event, the World Cup in Málaga.[7]

Carrasco was chosen for the 2024 Summer Paralympics as a coach, rather than an athlete. He said that the decision was politically motivated in order to allow a refugee to compete instead, and alleged that this athlete had rarely previously competed and had a poor personality.[8] Carrasco retired in September 2024, having finished runner-up at the Spanish championship in Valencia.[9]

Political career

After the President of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, called a snap election for December 2025, she named Carrasco as number two behind her on the People's Party (PP) list for the Cáceres constituency.[10] During the campaign, he denounced a stranger who called him a "fucking cripple who has sold his values to a political party just for money"; he was supoprted by Alberto Durán, president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee.[11] He was elected as his party formed the largest group in the Assembly of Extremadura with 29 members.[12]

Recognition

In October 2017, mayor Elena Nevado named Carrasco as a Favourite Son of Cáceres, calling him "an example of overcoming, knowing how to defeat adversity and never giving up".[13]

Carrasco was awarded the Medal of Extremadura in 2021, calling it "the most important medal that I could get".[2]

References

  1. ^ "Sumario" [Summary] (PDF) (in Spanish). Diario Oficial de Extremadura. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b Espada, Juanjo (3 September 2021). "Kini Carrasco: "Esta es la medalla más importante que podía conseguir"" [Kini Carrasco: "This is the most important medal that I could get"] (in Spanish). Canal Extremadura. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Kini Carrasco se hace centenario" [Kini Carrasco becomes a centenarian]. Marca (in Spanish). EFE. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Ángel Muñoz Rubio, Miguel Ángel (28 May 2017). "Kini Carrasco: «Supe convertir la tragedia de perder mi brazo en una virtud»" [Kini Carrasco: "I knew how to convert the tragedy of losing my arm into a virtue"]. El Periódico Extremadura (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Results Archive - Sydney 2000 - Athletics - Mens 4X100 M T46". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Increpan al paralímpico Kini Carrasco durante su entrenamiento" [Paralympian Kini Carrasco heckled during his training]. El Mundo (in Spanish). EFE. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Kini Carrasco llega a las 100 pruebas internacionales con un séptimo puesto en la Copa del Mundo de Málaga" [Kini Carrasco reaches 100 international events with seventh place at the World Cup in Málaga]. Hoy (in Spanish). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ^ Ortiz, José María (9 September 2024). "Kini Carrasco irá a los Juegos Paralímpicos, pero como técnico" [Kini Carrasco will go to the Paralympic Games, but as a coach]. El Periódico Extremadura (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Kini Carrasco anuncia su retirada después de 36 años de carrera" [Kini Carrasco announces his retirement after 36-year career] (in Spanish). Triatlón. EFE. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  10. ^ Soriano, Juan (17 November 2025). "El deportista Kini Carrasco y la influencer Zulema Romero se suman a la lista electoral del PP" [Sportsman Kini Carrasco and influencer Zulema Romero added to PP electoral list]. Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  11. ^ "El CPE apoya a Kini Carrasco y rechaza los insultos recibidos por su apoyo al PP en las elecciones extremeñas" [CPE supports Kini Carrasco and rejects the insults received for his support for the PP in the Extremaduran elections] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  12. ^ "16 parlamentarios por Badajoz y 13 por Cáceres conformarán Grupo Parlamentario del PP" [16 parliamentarians for Badajoz and 13 for Cáceres will make up the Parliamentary Group of the PP] (in Spanish). Región Digital. 2 January 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Kini Carrasco, nombrado Hijo Predilecto de Cáceres por su trayectoria deportiva y por ser un ejemplo de superación" [Kini Carrasco, named Favourite Son of Cáceres for his sporting career and for being an example of overcoming]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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