José Luis Korta is already collecting his things in the facilities of the Castro’s club. After half a century as a professional will be the … Last time I do this type of work, almost always sad, typical of farewells. The Oriotarra, however, does not seem affected. At 76, he continues to do everything with the overwhelming, almost hypnotic energy, which has accompanied him throughout his life. As soon as he listening to him -the first that he tells between laughs is that the previous day he went fishing and one of them bit him “the very bastard” -, the journalist tells himself to talk about Korta and withdrawal is an oxymoron, that this man vehemently, locuaz Australia will always remain active, in one way or another. This morning of August is a personal interview, as a biographical review. The talk begins at the beginning. We talked about Ortzaika, the riverside neighborhood of Orio where in 1949 who was born, without a doubt, the greatest living legend of the rowing.
– Now the whole neighborhood is called Ortzaika, but before it was only our hamlet. That has changed a lot
– Tell me about his parents and his grandfather Manuel, who was a character.
– My grandfather had a shipyard and made fishing boats. I won my first salary there. One hundred pesetas to collect nails and screws. ‘Ortzaika Haundia’, they called him. He was an ostia tiarrón. Without nails, he was able to make the mark in the wood clenching. It was from another pasta. Those of the last sixty or fifty years are yogurts compared to those men. I smoked pure, well half ate them and the other half smoked them, ha ha. They were standard. Aita was from San Juan and Orio Ama. Aita worked in a furniture factory in Zarautz and then at sea.
– You were also at sea too.
– With fourteen years.
– Before I would go to school.
– I started studying with 8 years. The truth is that I was going to class little. Two or three days a month.
– And they left him?
– No no. Fuck. When they learned at home, what was not charged at school charged.
– I suspect they charged a lot at school at that time.
– The ostia. They gave you a wooden mazacote, the brush to clean the blackboard. But, well, at 12 I already finished the race. With outstanding, ha.
– And what did he do then?
– Work in the shipyard and in the canning until I could go to the sea.
– Did he inherit the character of his parents or his grandfather?
– The late Trabuko, who came as a coach to Kaiku, told me it was the same as the grandfather: ‘shout and do what you want.’ Ha ha. That told me.
– Has it always been so competitive?
– Always. In this life everything is sport. It is easy to live under a bridge, but you want a good house, a good car … and that costs. The good is difficult and you have to fight.
– You have always known how to do it.
– The only thing I have not won is the donkey races because he had a neighbor, spend, who had a donkey like a horse. But the rest, in everything. I have trophies in Txingas, in the dish shot, in Cross cycle …
– Winning so much, how did I lose? I guess it would happen fatal. Could you sleep?
– He sleeps worse when you think you can win and you are aware of that, in tension. When you know you can’t win these calm. You accept it.
– Come on, he has lost when he has touched him.
– Yes, yes. Congratulations not cost me anything. Another thing is that they have won me with traps, as in many flags that have taken me away. Very serious traps. But life is like that. Those who govern do not want to know anything about that. We are talking about doping.
Professional
– Before talking about traineras, let’s make a subsection in the Mobile Bank, where you were a legend, nine times in a row of Spain of Skiff and Olympic in Moscow. What do you remember about those games?
– I didn’t go out to the street. Sometimes I was going to see Cuban boxers train. Or I went to the athletic track to see blacks run, which I no longer know if you can say so. Well, the blacks, the brunettes, the roasted, the Africans … it was impressive. They ran talking. And I remember that one day I saw an Italian doing stretching and rare postures. I didn’t know who it was. It was Pietro Mennea, who won the 200 meters.
– As soon as you start in the traineras wins with Orio Tres flags of the shell in a row in 1970, 71 and 72 …
– And we could have won by half a minute in 68 and 69, but those who commanded did not want to get trainera. I remember that when we won the flag it was given to us in the azor.
– Franco.
– Yes. Then they delivered the flag in the sea and came with it inside when the other traineras had already retired. They were waiting for you alone. The thing now is a mistake. A jam.
– Do you remember anything about the little boy, as it says?
– I remember that in the azor a tray with drinks for the military and the authorities passed. And that he took a glass of wine and, trac, drank it from a drink. I drank a kas.
-After winning the third flag of the shell he decided to go to Lasarte-Michelín because they offered him better conditions.
– That goes, that goes. Then there were no conditions or ostias .. we didn’t win anything. But if we paid to the shirts! Orio threw me.
– Because?
– They didn’t love me. They didn’t like them. I was the one who protested, the one who put his face. And it was from Ortzaika, and you know: Orio is Berlin Este and Berlín West. Between those of Ortzaika and those of Orio there have always been war. But, well, I miscarked. Whenever I have been thrown out of a place, things have gone much better.
– In 1976 Kaiku signs and becomes a professional.
– Yes. Then yes. Basilio Vázquez called me, signed and I left the job. And that had a fucking job in Gurelleesa distributing around the stores. How many yogurts I ate!
-You have been a very strict and demanding professional regardless of your club: Orio, Lasarte-Michelín, Kaiku, Zierbena, San Juan, Castro …
– I have always tried to do things as well as possible. GIVE THE MAXIMUM. That comes out of one. Do you think that when you are removing you remember what shirt it is going to? He just wants to win as soon as possible. Man, if you win with your people’s team, then better.
Inside the trainera
– Korta has been synonymous with triumph. He has reached clubs in crisis and has raised them in a short time and has put them at the top. What has been your secret?
– Work. Do the training I did, inside the trainera. In the battle, the general has to be there, does not outside giving orders. If a bullet comes to him first.
– While inside the boat they have been stiff with the rowers.
– Ha ha. The rowers call me everything. Black…
– Black? It will be Negrero.
– No. Black. And Mongol. And attentive.
– «Alert?
– Yes, they told them attentive that I am going to punish you. And one day they came with some t -shirts with my face that put attentive, ha.
– Your record is extraordinary. Summarizing a lot and forgetting the Mobile Bank, 16 shells such as Rumo, Patron or Coach. What is the victory that you remember the most?
– Many. In Orio they are going to get angry, but I remember the comeback with Castro at the shell, on the first day rowing and in the second pattern.
– And any spine stuck?
– Those that have stolen me by dopajes. Go to the shell with the best crew in the world through half a minute and not be able to follow the three boats in the honor batch. But, well, everything is covered here.
– What has rowing improved or worsened?
– It has worsened in almost everything. What he has won is to see it from home. Those who carry the act have also won a lot, but for clubs it is a ruin. Now only the money has and can make signings. As in football. To save the rowing at least 10 youth players would be needed. There would be a minute of the best to the worst with ten quarry.
