Esther Peris (born November 28 1980) is a Spanish paraplegic who has competed in table tennis and para-alpine skiing at the national level.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Born | November 28, 1980 Spain |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Sport | Para-alpine skiing |
| Event(s) | Downhill Slalom Giant slalom Super combined Super G |
Table tennis
Peris is an adaptive table tennis player, and a member of Escuela de Tenis de Mesa Adaptado de la Fundación del Lesionado Medular.[1] In 2012, she competed in the Spanish national table tennis championships.[2][3][4]
Skiing
Peris started able-bodied skiing a year before she became a paraplegic. She only had limited time to participate and never competed in able-bodied ski competitions.[2] In para-alpine skiing, Peris is a sit-skier.[5] When skiing on her own in Spain, many resorts require that she be accompanied by a monitor to supervise her on the slopes. This and specialized equipment make skiing very expensive.[2]
Peris was one of the original members of the first Spanish women's adaptive skiing team, Fundación También, in Spain,[5][6][7][8] having been with the team since 2007. AS a member of the team, she skis with Teresa Silva, Nathalie Carpanedo, Mariluz del Río, Sandra Cavallé, Irene Villa and Alberto Ávila.[6] One of the goals of the team was to develop skiers to represent Spain at the highest levels.[9] The Fundación También team created a special team for elite skiers, Equipo Santiveri, in 2007 with assistance from a sponsor.[10] That team originally had only six elite members of which she was one.[11] She and her teammates had ambitions of qualifying for the 2010 Winter Paralympics.[12][13]
In 2007, the national championships were open to female sit-skiers for the first time, and Peris was one of several Spanish skiers to compete.[14][15][16] She spent a week training with the Fundación También ahead of the 2009 Spanish national championships.[17] In February 2011, she participated in a Madrid-based event designed to teach students with disabilities in area schools how to ski. The event was organised by Fundación También.[18][19] In April 2011, she competed at the Andorran hosted Spanish national championships.[20][21] In January 2013, she participated in a five-day training camp with the Fundación También at Sierra Nevada.[6]
Personal life
Peris is from Madrid,[14][22] and participates several sports including in skiing, table tennis, swimming and hand cycling.[2]
When Peris was 23 years old, she developed a spinal tumor that eventually resulted in her becoming a paraplegic.[5] She requires a wheelchair for daily use.[5] Following becoming a paraplegic, she became involved in efforts to empower other sportswomen with disabilities.[5]
