As David Bisbal himself would say ‘Here I catch you, here I kill you’. Maddi Harina (Errenteria, 2009) has done it again. He has not shaken his pulse or returned from an injury that took him off the mat for a few weeks. The second-year judoka for children from the Judo Club San Sebastián has once again been proclaimed Euskadi champion in the -52 category and she has more than earned the ticket to attend the Spanish Championship that will be held at the end of this month of April. She takes advantage of the Easter holidays – she is in the second year of ESO at Lizeo Pasaia – to attend this newspaper and analyze the Euskadi championship and what lies ahead.
The victory achieved gives her more value if possible considering that she had not started the year on the right foot, after “she was injured for two months without training.” In a Spanish Cup held in Tortosa in January, she broke her clavicle and before this championship she spent a month training “very hard, against the current.” In the end she prevailed logic, technique, intelligence, the gift. Four fights overcome in less than a minute each one was enough for him to get on the highest drawer. “The final was not very difficult because she also knew the opponent from some training and she was already very confident,” recalls Harina. In the final “you had to control the grip, but I did a technique, I pushed him back and the other fell on his back”, she deepens with joy. As if what she does with total normality was something simple.
She stresses that “I was very nervous, but I had great expectations. In the short time I had, I trained a lot because I thought there would be a higher level, but there were no difficult fights, “she says. Either that or it’s a full blown machine. Once she was champion, “I couldn’t believe it, she was very happy and excited.” To this was added that “five of the club qualified for Madrid.” Her parents could not accompany her for work reasons, but her brothers, also judokas, suffered from her like her. “They were very happy. My brother was more nervous than me and then he got excited », she recalls, still with goosebumps.
He does not consider that it was more special than last year’s medal, but rather “different, it came in a different way.” The 2022 thing “was incredible. I thought I was losing the final and it was a rush”, he looks back. Now, apart from going to the Olympic stage in Avilés with two judokas who have participated in the Olympics, he is already looking askance at the Spanish championship that will be held on April 29 and 30 in Madrid. Last year he already went, that time in Pamplona, and «I had a great time. It was a spectacular adventure.”
“I can go further”
As for his aspirations for the Spanish championship, he is far from considering winning it, aware of the difficulty involved in measuring himself against the best state judokas. Of course, having had an experience may have been good for him. «I know some judoka from another competition and I can go further than last year, but you never know. You may get the champion and you go to the street at the first change », he maintains. What they will not lack are “the desire and enthusiasm to continue learning and meet new judokas. He also serves, in addition to competing, to make friends. It’s a nice experience.” Maddi continues to grow wherever he goes.
