The mayor and Concha Montaner with one of the awards at the Sports Gala. /
Some thirty athletes received their award at the Sports Gala
L’Eliana has recovered the Sports Gala after the years of hiatus due to the pandemic. The ceremony, which serves to honor the most distinguished local athletes of the season, also highlighted the figure of José Luís Merchán, former director of the Municipal Sports Center, retired last December after more than 40 years of service and who managed to put standing up to the more than 500 attendees in a well-deserved ovation.
The Gala, which took place last Thursday and served to award thirty athletes, individually and collectively, from up to 14 different modalities, began with a performance by the Elian artist Mar Gómez and included that of the contemporary dance group of the Adhara Center. In the athletics category, the 2022 Sports Merit Award was won by Carla López, regional sub-14 champion in 60m hurdles and triple jump and indoor runner-up in combined events and triple jump, and Alejandra Álvarez, regional champion in throwing junior javelin. In tennis, the award went to Mateo Álvarez, individual cadet regional champion, and Ángela Fita, absolute individual and doubles regional champion. In the skating discipline, Laura Tvile, autonomous cadet champion and Paula Ibáñez, ranked 4th nationally in her category, were the winners.
Turning to contact sport, judo, the award went to Nacho López and Sandra Bernal. The first as regional and Spanish champion in the children’s category and the second as the oldest athlete in the local club, who will soon be a black belt. Continuing with martial arts, the recognition in the karate category went to the brothers María Stoia, runner-up in Spain for children, and Paul Gabriel Stoia, champion of Spain, both in the kumite category. And in taekwondo, the winners were Daniel Martínez, as runner-up in the regional league, and Clara Ros, for her effort and perseverance in practicing this sport.
plenty of successes
Changing the modality, the sport fishing award was shared by Francisco Pérez and Ángeles Carrasco, both absolute runners-up in Spain with the Valencian team. And in rhythmic and sports gymnastics, Natalia González won the individual award, autonomous champion in the juvenile category, and in cadet classified for the National Base Championship, and the group went to the children’s group formed by Daniela García, Celia Pastor, Lucrecia Martínez, Neus Hernández, Naia Fernández and Ariadna Gómez, also qualified for the Spanish championship. In acrobatic gymnastics, Eduardo Roca was the winner as runner-up in Spain in children.
The triathlon award went to the athlete who traveled the most kilometers this year, Laura Herrera, and Alejandro Villarejo, for their competitiveness and dedication to the club; and the racquetball award went to Ricardo Varea from Elian, Spanish club champion and regional champion in rubber, pre-Olympic and Olympic paddle tennis. Recognition in pilota Valenciana was taken by the provincial runner-up in escala i corda al 7 i mig, José Vicente Peris ‘Terio’.
Finally, in team sports, the 2022 Sports Merit in basketball went to the senior male team that has achieved promotion to the LEB League and the youngest female team, third classified in the regional league. In rugby, the figure of the three local players of the national team Álvar Gimeno, Vicente del Hoyo and Guillermo Domínguez stood out. And in soccer, the award went to the senior women’s team, league runner-up and finalist in the Valenta Cup, and the youth men’s team, as champion throughout their career in the child and cadet categories.
The mayor, Salva Torrent, was very satisfied with the high level of the winners of the afternoon and highlighted the important role played by sport and its values in a municipality “which is brimming, as has been shown, with plenty of successes, talents and its own merits ».
