[Archive 2013-11-06] Wikinews interviews Spanish shooter Paulo Fontán

Historical archive — originally published 2013-11-06. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

This week, Wikinews interviewed Spanish Paralympic sport shooter Paulo Fontán Torreiro. Late last month, Galician Fontán competed at the Alicante hosted 2013 IPC European Shooting Championship, where he finished twenty-third in the R4 10-meter air rifle standing event, and fortieth in the R5 10-meter air rifle prone event.

((Wikinews)) : So you competed at the IPC European Shooting Championships last month? How did you do? Are you happy with the result? ((es))Spanish language: ‍¿Compitió en el pasado Campeonato de Europa de Tiro? ¿Qué tal le fue? ¿Satisfecho por el resultado?

Paulo Fontán Torreiro: Yes, I competed in the European Championship in Alicante. It was my first important event and I felt very nervous, I wanted to perform well. Despite improving my previous scores and achieving the minimum qualifying score for next year's World Championship, I think I could have done better. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Si he competido en el cto de Europa de Alicante. Era mi primer campeonato de tanta importancia y me noté bastante nervioso, con ganas de hacerlo bien. Aunque he mejorado mis marcas anteriores y he conseguido las marcas mínimas para tener la posibilidad de participar en el campeonato del mundo del año que viene, si es cierto que considero que lo debí haber hecho algo mejor.

((WN)) : What do you think you need to improve to possibly compete at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and get a medal? ((es))Spanish language: ‍¿Qué cree que necesita mejorar para poder competir en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Rio en 2016 y ganar una medalla?

Paulo Fontán: Basically I would need to be able to train more constantly, obtain financial resources to participate in international events, and have a bit of luck on the day of the competition. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Fundamentalmente necesitaría poder entrenar con más constancia, conseguir recursos económicos para poder participar en competiciones internacionales y despues tener algo de suerte el día de la competición.

((WN)) : What are the biggest challenges you face on the road to the Rio Games? Money? Good competition? The support network to travel and compete at the highest level? Disability access at training venues? ((es))Spanish language: ‍¿Cuáles son los mayores desafíos a los que se enfrenta en el camino a los Juegos de Rio? ¿Presupuesto? ¿Buenos rivales para aumentar su nivel? ¿Una red de apoyo para viajar y competir al máximo nivel? ¿Acceso para discapacitados en lugares de entrenamiento?

Paulo Fontán: All that are included in the questions. In order to train effectively, you need adequate facilities, and that's not the norm here. And to increase my level, I would need to compete against good rivals, basically at international events. For that, I require money and support, something that's not too available. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Pues todos los que aparecen en las preguntas. Para entrenar con garantías hace falta contar con instalaciones adecuadas, y no es lo habitual. Y para mejorar mi nivel necesitaría competir con buenos rivales (basicamente en competiciones internacionales) y para ello hace falta dinero y apoyos, algo que escasea.

((WN)) : Why did you chose to compete in shooting? Why not compete in another sport? ((es))Spanish language: ‍¿Por qué eligió competir en tiro? ¿Por qué no otro deporte?

Paulo Fontán: I first tried other sports but finally focused on shooting because it fits my capabilities better, I'm not bad at it, and there is a very agreeable atmosphere at the competitions. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Probé primero otros deportes pero finalmente me he centrado en el tiro porque se ajusta mejor a mis capacidades, no se me da mal y he respirado un ambiente muy agradable en las competiciones.

((WN)) : Who are your role models in shooting? Are there any shooters you particularly admire? ((es))Spanish language: ‍¿Quién es su modelo a seguir en tiro? ¿Existen tiradores/as a los que particularmente admire?

Source and licence

Text adapted from Wikinews interviews Spanish shooter Paulo Fontán by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.