MADRID, 11 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) honored this Wednesday the medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at its XIX Gala, held at the Goyeneche Auditorium in Madrid with the presence of the president of the COE, Alejandro Blanco, along with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
Thus, the COE distinction was awarded to the athletes who stood on the podium at the event held in the French capital along with their coaches. The event began with the imposition of the Olympic Order by Bach on Blanco, reciprocated minutes later by the COE to the head of the IOC with another honorary award.
The first medalists to take the stage were those who won bronze: Enmanuel Reyes Pla (boxing); Francisco Garrigós (judo); Álvaro Martín (march); the artistic swimmers Meritxell Ferré, Marina García, Lilou Lluís, Meritxell Mas, Alisa Ozhogina, Paula Ramírez, Iris Tío and Blanca Toledano; the canoeists Saúl Craviotto, Carlos Arévalo, Marcus Cooper and Rodrigo Germade (K4 500), as well as Diego Domínguez and Joan Antoni Moreno (C2 500) along with Pau Echaniz (K1 slalom); Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas (men’s handball team); and Sara Sorribes and Cristina Bucsa (tennis).
After that, the ‘Heart of Spain’ award was presented to the paddler and bronze medalist in Paris, Saúl Craviotto, and to the badminton player Carolina Marín, who was “surprised” at such recognition. “Of course I have noticed the support and above all we have shared that pain that everyone knows I suffered four months ago. We were together, we cried together, we hugged together,” confessed the woman from Huelva.
“We have shared many joys, that big hug when I won in Rio de Janeiro, so we have shared many beautiful things and also a very big misfortune, one more cog in the wheel,” reflected a Marín, visibly improved from her injury. For his part, Craviotto became the Spanish athlete with the most medals in Paris.
In this sense, the man from Ilerda living in Gijón claimed to have felt the support of the COE “from day number one” of his sporting career. “I have already been to the Games in Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo and these last ones in Paris and I have traveled all this way alongside Alejandro [Blanco]Ricardo (Leiva), of all the workers of this house, the house of sport, and they are part of this path,” he stated.
“I think it is the most important thing, all the people who accompany you, I think that is the beauty of the sport and of course my teammates, my coach, the family, all those people who have helped me be who I am, also sponsors and of course institutions in which Alejandro Blanco is a part here, of course,” said Craviotto.
The event continued with the silver medalists María Pérez (walking); Ayoub Ghadfa (boxing); and basketball player Vega Gimeno (women’s 3×3 team). Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was absent due to another commitment, so the event was directed towards the presentation of awards for gold medalists.
They were picked up by the athletes Jordan Díaz (triple jump), María Pérez and Álvaro Martín (mixed relay walking), the soccer players Sergio Camello and Alejandro Baena (men’s team), the water polo players Paula Camus, Paula Crespí, Laura Ester, Maica García, Paula Leiton , Bea Ortiz, Nona Pérez, Elena Ruiz and Martina Terré; and the coach of the sailors Diego Botín and Florian Trittel (49er class), absent from the gala.
The event featured a performance by Marlena, a duo participating in the Benidorm 2024 Festival and who provided the RTVE soundtrack for the Paris Games with the song ‘Summer Love’, and ended everything with the music of Ana Guerra to close the ceremony.