MADRID, 16 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Royal Spanish Canoeing Federation (RFEP) organized this Saturday the XXXIX National Gala that elevated Antía Jácome and Rodrigo Germade as the best paddlers in their sport, and also recognized the work carried out by institutions and sponsors throughout 2023.
This celebration was led by Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), and Javier Hernanz, president of the RFEP. Also attending were personalities such as the Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras, and the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Principality of Asturias, Lara Martínez Fernández.
The gala started with a speech by Javier Hernanz. “We have had a dream season and therefore it is impossible to list all the results obtained, but the most significant fact of this season is that we have qualified for the Olympic Games 19 of the 22 possible places, leaving 20th and 21st less than 1 tenth of qualifying and breaking our historical record of direct classification,” he indicated.
“In Spain, unprecedented results are still being achieved. Iñigo Peña and Barbara Pardo won the first medal in mixed K2 at a world championship, Estefanía Fernández won the world championship in K1 5000, Walter Bouzán and Judith Verdes took the first world gold for Spain in the mixed category in surf ski and our women's kayak polo team brought silver from the European championship, being the first women's medal in the history of this specialty in the absolute category,” stressed the president of the RFEP.
At this gala the most notable names were Antía Jácome and Rodrigo Germade, awarded in the category of Best Canoeists of the Year. Jácome added two medals at the European Games (silver with María Corbera and gold with Pablo Graña) plus two other silvers at the Duisburg World Championships (one in the C2 500 with Corbera), in addition to a gold, a silver and a bronze at the Szeged World Cup.
For his part, Germade started the campaign with a silver in Szeged aboard the K4 500, then at the European Games he won gold with his K4 teammates, later at the Duisburg World Championships he won bronze with Adrián del Río in the K2 500 and closed the season with two silvers in the Paris World Cup in the K4 and K2.
During the ceremony, Kiko Martín was also awarded the José Montes Trophy as best technician, having guided the paths of successful paddlers such as Jácome herself, Pablo Martínez and 'Tano' García; and the award for best Olympic slalom coach went to Anaís Bouchet, who currently coaches Ainoa Lameiro and Nuria Vilarrubla.
The referees had a leading role when the Jacinto Regueira Trophy was awarded in the men's category, which was collected by Iván Ferro, and the María Esther Díez Trophy, which was awarded to Nerea Alonso. Sponsors such as Iberdrola, DingoNatura and Asturias Paraíso Natural were also decorated along with the institutional support of the National Police and Civil Guard. In addition, Antena 3 received the special mention for the media outlet.
MANY MILESTONES OF THE YOUNGEST
The best national juniors were Ana Cantero and Martín López. The first was silver in the C2 500 and bronze in the C2 500, together with her partner Candelaria Delgado, at the European Championships in Montemor (Portugal). The second was gold in the K1 5000 event of the World Championship last summer in Auronzo Di Cadore (Italy) and bronze in the K2 1000, together with Javier García in the event in Portugal.
The best sub-23 of the year were Diego Domínguez and Claudia Couto for their great international results. The woman from Pontevedra was proclaimed world champion in C1 200 and won silver aboard the C4 500 in Italy, and in Portugal she was crowned European champion in the C1 200. The Madrid native added the title of European champion in the C1 1000 and the runner-up position in the C2 1000, together with Manuel Fontán, and then in the World Championship he won gold in the C2 500 together with Joan Antoni Moreno.
The Best Paracanoe 2023 awards went to David González Mella and Araceli Menduiña. González Mella was runner-up in the world in VL 200 in Duisburg and European champion in Portugal, while Menduiña achieved a hard-fought bronze in the European event in Montemor.
As for the collective awards, the Best Team award went to the absolute kayak polo girls since in Brandenburg they achieved the silver medal in the European Championship. The other three awards were the Accesit, which went to the K1 men's patrol of Miquel Travé, David Llorente and Pau Echániz due to their gold in the European Games.
Another Accesit went to the women's K1 of Maialen Chourraut, Laia Sorribes and Olatz Arregui, which was proclaimed runner-up in the world in London and the third Accesit went to the women's K4 of Sara Ouzande, Estefanía Fernández, Carolina García and Teresa Portela, silver in the Cup of the Szeged World Championship and bronze at the Duisburg World Championship.
The representation of young Spanish promises was present at this ceremony with the Fan Trophy, chosen through social networks on the profiles that the RFEP has on X and on Instagram, with Martín González (from Club Ría de Aldán Gandón) winning ).
Finally, the State Lottery and Betting Award for Human Values was awarded to Manuel Garrido for his performance in the European Marathon Championship when he came to the aid of Aurora Figueras, who suffered heat stroke while competing in the K2 test. .