Arnulfo Castorena began his life with two losses. His mother died during childbirth, and his father abandoned him when he learned of his disability; his maternal grandmother raised him and, later on, a nun at a boarding school introduced him to swimming.
Before the medals came, he sold gum at intersections in Guadalajara to get by. Over the years, he made the 50-meter SB2 breaststroke his event: he won gold in Sydney 2000 and defended his title in Tokyo 2020.
On September 4, 2024, in Paris, he completed the race in 59.41 seconds and won his fourth Paralympic gold. The swimming he discovered as a child was the path that took him back to the top, and despite it all, he triumphed in life.
Outside the pool, he also succeeded in building a family. He has been married to María Concepción for nearly 25 years and is the father of seven children, who have become one of his main motivations to keep going.
