26-year-old Blanenc and CN Mataró swimmer, has made history in the legendary Port of Barcelona race every December 25 with ten consecutive victories. Now his big challenge is to be an Olympian. To achieve this, he must be among the top 16 of the Doha World Cup in the long distance in open water.
He adds ten consecutive triumphs in the Nadal Cup and has equaled Dani Serra’s record. Goal accomplished?
I am very happy because, in the end, as he says, it has been ten years in a row winning the Nadal Cup. But it’s also not so much about winning anymore, but I like to have never failed, never to have gotten sick, and to have been able to be there all these years. My first goal was to equal Dani Serra’s record (Olympic swimmer in Seoul 1988 and winner of 10 Nadal Cups between 1984 and 2013), now that I’ve done 10 I’m starting to think about being able to win one more and break this historic ceiling . I’m glad I equaled the record because Dani was my idol when I was a kid. I wouldn’t have won the test ten times if he hadn’t done it before.
How many Cups Nadal has swum?
Twelve or thirteen…I think thirteen. In the first editions, as children. But I remember I also did one competing with Dani.
The water must have been freezing…
I was surprised, really. It was 14 degrees. Since it was sunny and a pretty bright day, I had a feeling it would be great. But I have to admit that when I jumped into the water I had a shock, the first impact took me by surprise, and my lungs collapsed. I didn’t make a very good time (2:05, to cover the proposed 200 meters).
Does Dani Serra still contest the test?
No, Dani Serra doesn’t swim it anymore, but every year he comes and I take a picture with him. I know him very well. He, for example, is behind the Radikal, the test that unites Calella and Llafranc. I wanted him to give me the award this year but it couldn’t be, he told me he would do it next year if I won the eleventh and beat the record.
How do you prepare for a competition like this?
I didn’t prepare it as such, because now my main challenge is the World Cup in February in Doha. If I finish in the top 16 in the long distance open water event on Day 4, where I have to swim 10 kilometers, I will have my ticket to the Paris Olympics. It is my goal and the biggest challenge of my sports career. Now I’m focused on that, the Nadal Cup was coming up and I was also having fun trying to match Dani’s record of ten wins. He had competed in the Spanish Cup and it was coming to an end, and that’s why we extended the set-up to include the Christmas Cup.
Is this the closest you’ll get to being an Olympian?
I am in a similar situation to that of the Tokyo Games, but then there were two Spaniards, and instead this time I am the only one and if I finish in the top sixteen I will qualify. In the test for those previous Games I finished 28th, and apart from that, the classification criteria were different.
Can you live off swimming?
More than living, I would say I can survive, it gives me to pay the rent and food and little else. Swimming helps you survive but it doesn’t solve your life. That’s why I also studied CAFE, which I’ve already finished, and now I’m doing a distance learning master’s degree in teaching, so I can better combine training schedules. I spend six to seven hours a day training. And next year I hope that I can also start working as a coach or teacher.
Do you train at sea?
No, I train very little in the sea, although I like swimming in the sea more than in a pool. I do most of my training in the swimming pool, in Mataró, which is where I live despite still being registered in Blanes. I do about six hours a day, Monday to Friday, two and a half in the morning, two and a half in the afternoon, and then I also go to the gym. In the summer I try to put in some training at sea, yes, although it is more complicated to control.
How did you get into swimming and why did you choose the long distance?
In Blanes I started taking swimming lessons, I learned to swim there. When I was eight I went to Lloret because there was a federated club, and between the ages of 14 and 19 I was on scholarship at the CAR de Sant Cugat, being, among others, European children’s champion. I like to swim in open water. I’ve loved swimming in the sea since I was a child, since I made the Blanes crossing at the age of six. As I told him before, I always liked swimming in the sea more than in the pool.
2023-12-26 19:04:57
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