Students of Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering respectively at the University of Almería, the swimmer remains on the national podium for another year with silver in the 100 meter breaststroke and the judoka takes bronze in -81 kilos
Sonia Aguilar’s legacy in terms of metals in the Andalusian and Spanish University Championships has been increased with a new medal won this weekend in Talavera de la Reina. Under the organization of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the CEU Swimming 2024 has once again confirmed that this student from the Faculty of Experimental Sciences is a sure value for the UAL in the sporting field, by winning silver in the distances of 100 meter breaststroke. To her we must add another student from the Higher School of Engineering, who a few hours before won bronze in the CEU judo, organized in Jaca by the University of Zaragoza. He is Francisco Herguido and his category is less than 81 kilos.
Aguilar does not know if it will be her last year of university competitions, since not only is she a magnificent athlete, but she also shines in her studies: “Technically I have already finished my degree in Mathematics, since I handed in the TFG in February, so I was still able to compete this course because I had registered, and now I am doing an online Master of Biomedical Engineering.” He has left behind a real ‘bath’ of metal for the University of Almería, with four golds in the CAU of 2023 and, consecutively, two bronzes in the CEU, plus what was achieved this same year, two other Andalusian golds and this silver national, which adds up to nine medals, six of them the most valuable. Her distances are both 100 and 50 in breaststroke and freestyle.
The swimmer herself has acknowledged that “compared to last season” she is “lowering times little by little”, training very hard “with Bahía de Almería, which is a master club.” If I had not accumulated that work, obviously the road to those podiums would not have been opened, especially taking into account, for example in this last CEU, that “in the championship there were even Olympic and Paralympic swimmers, so we found quite a few level, but it still went very well.” Also applying her open character and her way of facing the competition, she confesses verbatim that “I enjoyed it a lot and I was very happy for the medal”, ending her words with “I am always proud to represent the UAL in swimming”.
That same feeling of belonging stands out in Francisco Herguido: “The mere fact of wearing the UAL kit already makes me feel proud.” He is very clear: “I love my land and I enjoy studying at home, so putting the name of my university on a national podium feels really good.” In his case, the level of competition has also been very high: “The list was tough, there were names with a great track record and the draw didn’t help me.” Despite this, bronze: “The first fight was already hard, I was facing the current absolute champion of Andalusia and we had already studied each other very well; I was able to come out of that war well, but I fell in my next fight against the one who was finally proclaimed champion of the tournament.”
He got up and continued forward: “In the repechage I had tough rivals, of the caliber of runners-up from Spain, but at the end of the day I had a good result, beyond what I expected, although I prefer to go combat by combat and not give a competition for nothing. won or lost before even jumping onto the tatami.” Intelligent in competition as one of his characteristics, he advances in his studies at the UAL: “I am currently studying the second year of Mechanical Engineering, and I feel that I have succeeded with my studies and that I am on the path that I like and in the right place ”. He has gone further: “Personally, I greatly value the campus of the University of Almería and the university environment we have.” When he completes his degree: “I will think about whether to join the army or do a master’s degree.”
In this regard, he added that he is in no hurry: “I’m still young and I can mature more to make the most sensible decision, so for the moment I’m not worried about the future and I’m just trying to do the best I can in the present.” It is hard, yes, that day to day between the elite athlete and the student: “The most difficult part is to measure up in studies; I know what my priorities are, but I organize my time based on training and I never use studies as an excuse to not go to train; It is a responsibility. In fact, he has used a metaphor: “Isn’t it true that you don’t stop eating to have more time to study? Well, training for me is as vital as eating, so I invest my leisure time in judo without any problem.”
Herguido has underlined his priorities, “judo is what I enjoy the most”, despite his youth accumulating a long career that began when he was 10 years old “in a small branch of the Mytos Club.” His story is this: “I had been through many sports, but none of them hooked me until I came across judo because it was very different from all the ones I knew, since, despite a lot of physical contact, there was more sportsmanship, respect and discipline than in anything he had practiced; After a couple of years training at Zapillo, they transferred me to the Palacio, where I was already working with the competition group and there I found a second family.” He is very grateful: “Thanks to them I achieved the greatest achievements of my life, such as the seven medals in the Spanish Cups in just two years, two of them gold, and the bronze in the Spanish U21 Championship.”
2024-05-15 07:40:33
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