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Updated:08/03/2021 13:29h
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While their classmates will be at this time soaking in the beach, running around town or playing with the machines, Julia Benedetti prepares to participate in his first Olympics. On Wednesday morning, at two in the morning, Julia and her 19 rivals will launch with their board on the track of the urban park of Ariake in search of an Olympic medal. The skate’ debuted a week ago at the Games, in the ‘street’ mode, in which the obstacles that a skater may encounter on an urban circuit are recreated (from benches to railings), and now it is the turn of the ‘park’, which It is disputed on a track full of ramps and curves on which the skaters perform their impossible tricks.
Julia Benedetti is 16 years old. Next year he will attend the Second Baccalaureate at the Santa María del Mar School in Barcelona. The exams have gone well for him, he likes Science more and, although he is still not sure what career he will study, he would not mind getting into an Engineering. If you finally decide to do it, you might be able to give advice to the other Spanish Olympic skater, Andrea Benítez, who competed last week in Tokyo and is an electrical engineer. But right now Julia’s head – long curly hair, round face, lively eyes – is not thinking of equations, but of enjoying the Olympics. Something I hadn’t even dreamed of a few months ago: “Suddenly the coach called me one day to see if I wanted to go to compete in the world championships to qualify for Tokyo and then I found out that ‘skateboarding’ was Olympic. I didn’t even know. I practiced it as a hobby and that’s it ”. Julia accepted the challenge: in May she went to Des Moines (Iowa), reached the semifinals and won her ticket to Japan. Then, yes, he had to binge on books and exams. “When I travel there my colleagues tell me how cool because I skip classes, although on the way back I am the one who has to make up everything … but it’s still worth it.”
Ariake’s track awaits you on Wednesday at 2.00 (Spanish time). The twenty participating skaters compete in four previous rounds. The best eight will qualify for the final, which will take place a few hours later, at 5.30. Julia leaves without any pressure. She just wants to enjoy an unusual experience for a teenager: «I just want to enjoy myself and do my best. For me it is no longer as important as it is in the end. I’m happy with being here. When I skate, be it with friends or in tournaments, I just think about having fun. “
Julia Benedetti is the only Spaniard who competes in ‘park’. On Thursday, also at 2.00, the boys will put on their helmets, with two national representatives: Danny León and Jaime Mateu.
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