The mainstay of Unión Antigua, Kiren González, puts an end to his time at the Majorero club, with which he has won two regional championships in the Canary Islands.
How did you experience that grand final of the Canary Islands regional in which your club, Unión Antigua, beat Maxorata in an exciting final?
It was spectacular. Each fight with the Maxorata is intense and exciting, not without some controversy, although I think that in this case there has not been so much controversy. They are fights that make fans. I think it is acceptable to also congratulate Maxorata because he has been a well-deserved finalist and runner-up. I greatly admire Efraín Perera, we have both come from Lanzarote, we have always been rivals, last year we were teammates and possibly without him, who has been one of my references whom I have wanted to reach, all this would not have been possible.
At the end of the Fight, both Eusebio Ledesma and Jorge Ávila complained about some arbitration decision in that final. How do you rate the refereeing of the final?
I did not listen to his statements after the Fight, but sometimes the athlete often has a mistake when we lose wanting to look for the problem where it does not reside and in this case it is blaming the referee. In my opinion, the refereeing was practically perfect, although there can always be mistakes that I would have to go back to appreciate, because I was warming up until I came out and I couldn’t see the entire fight. I don’t think there was any failure that had an impact on the final result of the Fight.
Where were the keys to become the new regional champions?
The key lies in the group, in that we are the Antigua de Raimundo García. We have been very clear for eight years that in order to add victories everyone has to contribute, from the first to the last and that leads us to be very competitive in decisive moments.
How did the great night atmosphere that reigned in the arena live in the arena?
The field was beautiful. There were quite a lot of fans from Fuerteventura, from other islands and also palm trees. With a full field it becomes more fun and it’s a pleasure to be able to compete like this.
What does it feel like to be the best team in the Canary Islands?
A lot of happiness. Also on this occasion we were facing the last two champions of the regional league. We were champions before the covid and last year the Maxorata was the champion. On the other occasion when we were champions, in Gran Canaria in 2019, I didn’t enjoy it as much, because I felt more pressured. This time we did not arrive as favorites and since it was also the second time, I enjoyed it much more. It was special because we were also facing Maxorata who had won us the league final and it made us very happy.
Will we see a team from Gran Canaria again in the top flight?
A series of circumstances are needed that have not occurred so far, it is also something that goes by seasons. In Fuerteventura 8 or 9 years ago, the clubs had just competed in a Second Division that was not capable of attracting many people to the field. They opted to be in the First Division and little by little fighters began to come and the competition began to grow. In La Palma the same thing happened a bit. It is necessary for one team to bet and for the others to continue, for that to take people to the field, for people to want to go compete there and a series of circumstances that go by stages. Gran Canaria will have its time again.
Is the Fight more alive than ever despite the fact that it seems that there are always doomsayers who insist on saying that it is in decline?
Whoever says that the Fight is dead or something similar is not true. We have to improve in some aspects as a sport, but it moves a lot of fans and it is a sport that makes you feel when you get to the field, everything that surrounds Lucha Canaria makes the one who goes for the first time, usually repeat.
With the season over, how do you plan the future of Unión Antigua?
The season ended yesterday and no more Fights can be held. Now it’s time to rest and prepare for the next season. In the Fight the normal thing is that he signs year after year, in our club practically the same block will continue, the only one who will not continue in the squad is me. After nine years I have decided to take a change of course in my career, because I feel that I need to take on new challenges sportingly. It is something that I decided thoughtfully with my closest people, with my trainers and I think it will be good for me to have new stimuli after having achieved all my goals with Antigua. In any case, I will continue to be linked to Antigua in whatever they need me to do, although I will fight for another club that I will announce later this week, this Friday. After so many years in the same club one tends to settle in and it’s something I want to avoid. I want to continue being competitive at 37, every year I ask myself if there is another season or not.
Is it worth assuming so many sacrifices in your personal life to continue competing at the top of the Canarian Wrestling? What has Antigua been for you in this cycle of almost nine years that is coming to an end?
Each year that one renews entails many sacrifices, but the Fight is something that we have been doing since I was little and in the end it is what we have lived through, the only thing we know. I thank all the fans of Antigua, who have always treated me in the town as if I were one of the others, Raimundo García, who is the president and who has been to us as if he were a father, I want to thank both him and to all the board of directors and members of the club, for everything they have done for me and for what I have experienced during these years in the club and in the town.
2023-08-01 11:00:10
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