Alejandro and Pablo Zarzuela

Spain emerged as surprise finalists at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and that was where twin brothers Alejandro and Pablo Zarzuela caught international attention, so much that opponents would lock down on them defensively. That was the case at the 2018 World Championships, where Spain finished in fifth place.

The duo are towering terrors for their opponents, which was evident at Rio 2016; they both scored double-figures against the USA in the gold medal game – Alejandro with 20 points and also grabbing seven rebounds, Pablo with 16 points.

Despite the loss, the Zarzuela brothers – 3.0 players – helped Spain make history by securing the nation’s first Paralympic medal in the sport and helping steer the programme in a positive direction toward Tokyo 2020.

The twins have been playing competitively since their junior years, celebrating two Under-23 European Championship titles. They helped Spain to bronze medals at the 2011 and 2013 European Championships.

Before taking up wheelchair basketball, they both tried swimming, cycling, and Alejandro also took up archery. They are originally from the city of Jerez and were born with spina bifida.