Julen Aginagalde jumps onto the court from the bench at the end of the bronze match against Egypt. /
Our athletes had not been on an Olympic podium since the hondaribitarra Iker Martínez did in 2008
End of the Tokyo’2020 Olympic Games and the shortest Olympiad in history has already begun, which will end in Paris’2024. Due to its proximity, it will be easier to go to this event than to others and, in fact, it will be the closest Olympic Games geographically since those of Barcelona’92, although since then there have been others in Europe.
From the point of view of the Bidasoa region, the Tokyo Games have been very positive. They have participated in them Julen Aginagalde, Ander Elosegi and Teresa Errandonea as athletes and Xabi Taberna, Iñaki Gómez and Telmo Olazabal as canoeing coaches from Spain, Slovenia and Holland, respectively, and Igor Herrero as coach of the Uruguayan judo team.
Soccer
Patricio Arabolaza, Ramón Egiazabal and Joaquín Vázquez, in Antwerp’1920 (silver); Patxi Ganborena and José Luis Zabala in Paris’1924 and Amsterdam’1928; Manuel Sagarzazu in Amsterdam’1928; David Billabona, in Barcelona’1992 (gold).
Canoeing
Pedro Alegre in Los Angeles’1984; Izaskun Aranburu in Atlanta’1996 and Sydney’2000; Esteban Arakama in Atlanta’1996 and Sydney’2000 and Ander Elosegi in Beijing’2008, London’2012, Rio’2016 and Tokyo’2020.
Handball
Nacho Novoa in Moscow’1980 and Los Angeles’1984, Miguel Angel Zuñiga in Seoul’1988, Iosu Olalla in Atlanta’1996 (bronze) and in Sydney’2000 (bronze) and Julen Aginagalde in London’2012 and Tokyo’2020 (bronze ).
Cycling
José Mari Errandonea in Rome’1960; José Antonio Martiarena in Seoul’1988.
Sail
Iker Martínez, in Athens’2004 (gold), Beijing’2008 (silver) and London’2012.
Clay pigeon shooting
Juanjo Aranburu in Beijing’2008 and London’2012.
Remo
Juan María Altuna in Barcelona’1992.
Athletics
Fernando Labourdette in Amsterdam’1928 and Teresa Errandonea in Tokyo’2020.
Swimming
Ana Rubio at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
It is almost far away, because he was one of the first to participate, Ander Elosegi’s eighth place in whitewater, his fourth Olympic diploma in as many participations. Then Teresa Errandonea competed in 100 hurdles and was left with a bittersweet taste because she could not lower her mark or go to the next round.
And finally, Julen Aginagalde’s bronze medal with the Spanish handball team, one more medal for the Bidasoa region.
The first was 101 years ago, made of silver, and arrived in Antwerp’1920 by the hand of Real Unión footballers Patricio Arabolaza, Ramón Egiazabal and Joaquín Vázquez. It took a long time for a bidasoterra athlete to get a new medal. It was also in football, in this case of gold in Barcelona’92, and David Billabona has it.
In the next four Olympics there was a medal in each. The Irundarra Josu Olalla won the bronze in handball twice, in Atlanta’96 and Sydney’2000, and then the hondarribitarra Iker Martínez – along with the Ibarratarra Xabi Fernández – won the gold medal in Atenas’2004 and the silver in Beijing 2008.
Now Julen Aginagalde has been in charge of getting one more medal for the region, a bronze medal by beating Egypt in what is supposed to be the Irundarra’s last match with the national team.
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