I chose swimming mainly because it was the only place where I felt good.
I got where I am because I was very tenacious,
and above all because I dreamed of being able to be like everyone else.
I didn't accept I was blind until I was 19.
The world of the Olympics taught me that with real training,
dedication and the right people you can achieve anything you want.
The difficulty of teaching a blind person to swim...
Someone who hasn’t been able to see... -he could see until age 6 or 7-
Someone who hasn’t seen a butterfly stroke, how do you explain that?
Butterflies are insects... or crawl, freestyle.
What is front crawl? Backstroke, breaststroke...
these are abstract concepts.
Enhamed was a really fast learner.
You could explain anything to him, show him and get into the water with him
and he knew what to do instantly.
I remember one day we were doing laps,
the water was cold, I was very tired at the end of the day.
I reached the wall and he didn't tell me my time.
He said:
"You shouldn't have come for this shit, you're wasting my time".
I remember he gave the starting signal, I started swimming,
while tearing up.
But what was I going to do? Leave?
That really affected me
and since then, January 2, 2002 to September 30, 2004
when I went to Athens I didn't miss a single training day.
I went swimming, no matter what, every day.
That’s when I thought, “I want to break a record.
How? No idea".
I thought if I wanted a 5
I'd probably get a 3 or a 4, so I'll go for a 10.
I had never been in an international competition with Enhamed.
I swim one hundred meters and when I touch the wall
a team mate comes and says: world record.
I was very happy I could be there at that moment.
Imagine teaching a child
how to swim
and, ten years later,
seeing that child breaking a world record.
A 15-year old record.
I try to think about it from his perspective and I get emotional.
That was my contribution,
my gift and my way of thanking him.
I think the Beijing Paralympics
was when Enhamed found his true potential and really triumphed.
I remember when I entered the pool, in the Water Cube.
I thought “this is amazing!”
I won the 100 m butterfly stroke final of Beijing 2008
time and again in my mind.
I would get up at 4 in the morning to watch him compete on television.
When I went into the water and finished the race
I realized it had been perfect, I knew I had won.
It was spectacular, a truly perfect race.
It's an indescribable happiness.
Enhamed went down in history at Beijing 2008,
it was unbelievable:
4 gold medals and exceptional results,
amazing for the team and for him and of course for me, as his coach.
When someone doesn’t think I’m blind
I feel flattered.
People forgetting your blindness, that's gratifying.
Not towards me,
but towards everyone who has helped me during these years,
because that was our goal.