Mario Serrano, a resident of Lliçà d'Amunt and seventh in the world in Paralympic rowing, was received last Friday by the mayor and the sports councilor of the City Council. This recognition comes after Serrano completed his first season at the highest level with a notable seventh position at the World Rowing Championships, held in August at Lake Bosbaan, in the Netherlands. He competed with the Spanish national team, winning the B final.
Serrano's journey is not only marked by his sporting season but also by a process of personal recovery and adaptation to a new reality following a serious motorcycle accident on November 26, 2023. This incident caused him various injuries and kept him in critical condition, forcing him to face a completely new situation.
With the support of his family and friends, Serrano began a long process of accepting his new reality, a key moment that allowed him to set new goals. His experience was marked by the difficulty of finding role models, but he found a new path through sport.
A trip to Paris in the summer of 2024, coinciding with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, was decisive. The visibility of Paralympic sport allowed him to imagine a new life and discover the potential of sports in this new phase. "I felt like I was lost and had found my way," Serrano explained.
After exploring options like canoeing, he opted for rowing, a discipline he began training for in October 2024. In March 2025, he got into a boat on the water for the first time, feeling he had found his sport. Despite starting with a second-to-last position at the Spanish Championship, he embarked on a season of intense work.
The 2025-2026 season saw him combine his university studies in Physiotherapy with daily training sessions, including trips to Castelldefels to train on the water. This dedication led to significant improvement, achieving titles such as team champion of the Spanish Indoor Rowing Circuit, runner-up in the Spanish Paralympic Rowing Championship, and runner-up in the Catalan long-distance championship.
His progress earned him a place in the Spanish national team, securing fifth position at the World Cup in Lucerne. The culmination was seventh place at the World Championships, a remarkable achievement for someone who had only been competing in rowing for just over a year.
Mario Serrano now faces the challenge of continuing to advance, aware of the financial difficulties in Paralympic sport. His goal for the upcoming season is clear: to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
"For my first real year as a rower, I can't ask for more," stated Serrano, who sees his sporting project just beginning. The institutional reception in Lliçà d'Amunt highlights his perseverance, adaptation, and capacity for overcoming adversity.
