Marisol Casado, president of the World Triathlon: «In a city as sustainable as Pontevedra everything is much easier»
21 sep 2023 . Updated at 05:00 a.m.
The eyes of half the world are looking at Pontevedra from today. The final of the World Series begins, four days in which nearly three thousand triathletes from around the world will walk the streets of a city that has earned hard to host the biggest event in a sport championed by Gómez Noya. Some athletes compared it to the impact of a Champions League final in the world of football, but to reach this point, Pontevedra has been taking firm steps since 2008. First it was the European Cup, in 2011 it held the European Championship; in 2014, the Duathlon World Cup, and just four years ago it organized the Long Distance World Cup. I wanted more. And the international federation unanimously awarded it the big event of the World Series in the year before the Paris 2024 Games. The best athletes are looking for their ticket to the Olympics.
The sections of the Triathlon World Series in Pontevedra
After the opening ceremony this afternoon, the first big event will be next Saturday at nine in the morning with the Paratriathlon. Susana Rodríguez Gacio will seek the podium for Galicia. The athletes of the under-23 group will start at 2:20 p.m., with their eyes focused on Esteban Basanta, the only local representative in the international event. Just three hours later, Antonio Serrat will try to improve his current 22nd place in the elite category classification. Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde start as favorites on a podium that Kristian Blummenfelt also aspires to, Olympic champion who, after training these days with Gómez Noya, hopes to regain his good form in a city where he already competed in 2011.
Triathletes look askance these days at the Lérez River. The 1,500 meter swim in these waters worries athletes, who for days have been studying the currents and the influence of rising tides. Some of them already participated last Saturday in the Swimming Trip to get used to the changing conditions and temperatures. They will jump out of the water after 40 kilometers riding through the urban environment, where the possibility of rain may be their greatest handicap. Back in the city, the monumental area will be the most spectacular segment for spectators, who will be able to see the world champion cross the finish line on the CGTD track.
On Sunday it will be the turn of the age groups and the under-23 and elite women’s race. Natalia Castro, 21, from Buenos Aires, will face her first final at home. Sara Guerrero will be the only Galician representative in the elite final, which will start on Sunday at 4:45 p.m., with Bett Potter and Cassandre Beaugrand starting as favorites to be crowned in the world capital of triathlon.
For days Pontevedra has been a huge training camp that this weekend awaits more than 12,000 people in an event that will be broadcast live to the entire world.
Marisol Casado: «In a city as sustainable as Pontevedra everything is much easier»
Marisol Casado (Madrid, 1956) has been in Pontevedra for days now. She has just returned from doing three stages of the Camino Portugues with other members of the executive committee of the World Triathlon (international federation). It is one of the parallel activities of an event that the president describes as “fantastic.”
—What makes Pontevedra a benchmark for triathlon?
—Pontevedra has always been closely linked to our sport, not only because it is the city where Javier Gómez Noya lives. We have had great competitions here and we know that it has everything to welcome us. The circuit of this World Championship is perfect for athletes and the organization is fantastic. The city has it all.
—You have just reached the top with the World Series final, what does it mean in terms of sports for such a small city?
—It involves hosting nearly 3,000 athletes from all over the world, many of them accompanied by family members, coaches and members of national federations. They have the opportunity to compete at the highest level, but also enjoy parallel activities. They give all the people of Pontevedra the opportunity to watch an extraordinary competition.
—The federation has unanimously granted the test. Because?
—They have a very active role, it is a city that is always willing to give everything so that athletes don’t have to worry about anything. An event like ours is very complex to organize, and in a city as sustainable as this one, where there is little traffic and so much respect and culture for sports, things are always easier.
—In 2025 the Multisport will be held, will there be any more surprises?
—At the moment, we have not received any more applications for more events in Pontevedra.
2023-09-21 03:00:00
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