Maria de Valdes (Fuengirola, 1998) this Saturday won the silver medal in the 10 kilometers of open water at the Doha World Championships. A result as spectacular as it was unexpected that gives the swimmer from Costa del Sol Liceo de A Coruña an Olympic square for the Paris 2024 Games. De Valdés was surpassed in a photo finish by the Dutchwoman Sharon van Rouewendaal, while the Portuguese Angélica André completed the podium.
Former del CN FuengirolaMaría has been working for 7 years now A Coruña where she has not stopped progressing, despite a recent shoulder injury and overcoming the hardship that it was for her not to get a ticket for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and also the recent death of his father.
Silver in 5 kilometers in the Rome European 2022, this Wednesday he will jump into the water again to swim precisely this distance of 5,000 meters at the World Cup event. Doha. Before, he makes time in his busy schedule to talk to The Opinion of Malaga.
María de Valdés made history with her World Cup silver in Doha. / EFE
Congratulations. World runner-up and future Olympic swimmer…
Thank you so much. I feel the support that is coming to me from Malaga. I’m very happy. The truth.
How was Saturday’s race? What feelings did you have? He has made history in Spanish swimming.
The truth is that it was very exciting in all aspects. The circumstances at sea were complicated, but I knew how to manage the test in the best possible way. Since I jumped into the water, I told myself: this is my career and I’m going with everything. I gave everything until the end and I had the reward of achieving that silver.
What excites you more, World Cup silver or having an Olympic ticket secured for Paris 2024?
I have been asked this question a lot these last few hours. I don’t even know what to answer. Although if I have to stick with something, I would say the Olympic spot, because it is something I have fought for for a long time. And not only because of the square, also because I want to do something more than participate in the Olympics. I dream of an Olympic medal.
Did you go to Doha with the conviction that you could get on the podium or was this world silver medal a surprise?
For me it has been a great surprise. It is true that I have been working for a long time to achieve this result, but the objective for this test was to make a top 10 because there were 13 tickets for the Paris Games and that was the great challenge, to be among the best. In the end, second place was a surprise for me and for those who follow me. We all thought about getting the ticket for Paris 2024, but no one could even imagine winning the medal.
After this result, can we say that his shoulder injury is completely forgotten? Or can María de Valdés still improve physically in these next few months before the Olympic event?
My shoulder is one hundred percent recovered, I don’t have any type of pain, although it is true that sometimes muscularly I do have small relapses, but my mobility is perfect. I think I still have room for improvement to be able to continue training physically and also mentally.
María de Valdés, excited after winning the silver. / AP
He lost his father a few months ago, I guess after getting the medal it would be one of his first thoughts…
Yes. I think he gave me the strength I needed on Saturday. It has been a very special race for me. It has all been very recent. Right now I have joy and sadness. It’s like a set of emotions that I still have to assimilate step by step. I’m like on a cloud.
Now he has the 5 kilometer test in the World Cup. How do you face it?
I swim on Wednesday at 8:30, Spanish time. The truth is that I am liberated with what I have already done, but I want to do my best and fight again side by side with the best in the world. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself or say any results, but I think I can do very well and be very high.
María de Valdés, silver at the Doha 2024 World Cup, on the podium. / EFE
After this World Cup, what work plan awaits María de Valdés before the Olympic Games?
The next thing is to go to Coruña to continue training at Liceo, my current club. Then I have the Spanish Open in Barcelona in two weeks and then I will have a short break in which we will see what the work schedule is like to face the Paris event in the best possible conditions. There we will consider the concentrations and championships that I do in the following weeks.
2024-02-07 07:15:01
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