The ambassadors of Biscayan sport
EL CORREO honors the best athletes in the territory at a gala with smiles and emotion
The heart of Biscayan sport beat strongly this Monday on the Gran Vía in Bilbao. The best athletes in the territory received the usual and well-deserved recognition from EL CORREO at a gala in which there were smiles, tributes and also a space for emotion and remembrance. 2022 was the year in which the world returned to normality and it was also the year in which there were successes on the pitch, the soccer field, on the pediment, in the snow, on the road and at sea…
After several days in which the rain had made an appearance in Bizkaia, this Monday it granted a truce. A nod, “a resplendent day”, as defined by Patxi Herranz, the new director of this gala, sponsored by BBK, the Bizkaia Provincial Council and the Bilbao City Council. He directed, with his usual mastery, an event that lasted just over an hour. “It is a tribute to all athletes,” he said as soon as the ceremony began, which had Jone Magdaleno, the taekwondo athlete, European champion in the category of less than 62 kilos as the first awardee.
Bilbaína, she went all out. And on the stage of the BBK hall, the competitor looked at the “next Olympic Games”, and also at the world championship that will take place in Baku in the spring. And from the tatami she went to the chessboard. Txelu Fernández, veterans world runner-up, thanked the award through a video, “an honor” for a man who, strangely, his sport is “booming.”
His second place came in Italy, far from home, unlike Helen Alberdi, a prophet in her land, European champion of the middle distance triathlon in Bilbao. As a swimming specialist, she recognized the award from Ainhoa de las Heras, an editor for ELCORREO who fulfilled “a dream” last year at the end of the New York marathon. “I recommend it to everybody”.
The United States, a country that knows perfectly Jon Rahm, a regular at these awards. Through a video sent to this newspaper when his commitments allowed him, “with a cracked voice” and the memory of Corti -José Manuel Cortizas, the journalist from EL CORREO who died two years ago-, the golfer from Barrika thanked the award and he wished that “in the future” he could come to Bilbao to “pick him up”.
From the golf ball to the basketball to applaud the Copa del Rey title. Marina Pérez, José Centeno, team captain, and its president Txema Alonso, were in charge of collecting the award, very excited: «We are once again on this podium in Basque sport for the third consecutive year. What more could you ask for!», He launched a few days of playing the Champions League in Txurdinaga.
And back on the mat, with Jon Ander Cintado, runner-up in the world in the category of less than 80 kilos in Mexico, representative of a sport that is growing. Next, the bicycles appeared on stage with another regular: Pello Bilbao. Winner of several stages in 2022. His brother-in-law, Jorge Calcedo, ex-cyclist, ex-partner, friend, took the award… “I saw the future in him and I presented it to my sister,” he joked.
With good humor, Ager Solabarrieta, world champion in shooting for the visually impaired, took the stage, accompanied by his wife Maite Badiola. “Is incredible. I can’t even tell you what I felt. It’s amazing”, this Biscayan who has been with the “txinbera” since he was little is still surprised. Also when she was a child, Amaia Aldai, champion of the Four and a Half, started playing ball. But she left him for soccer. She though she came back. And there she is, like one of the dominators of the court.
After a brief break to honor the deceased, the spotlight fell on two representatives of Athletic Genuine, the Athletic Foundation team for people with functional disabilities. Winners of the League fair play, María José Paul and Jon Ander Gil, joked with the presenter, confessed that they like Muniain and Raúl García and received a clear message. «You have something more important than winning games, it is winning the respect of all of us who are here. You are very big, “Herranz cheered them.
nice gesture
And that applause also went to Xabier López-Arostegui, European basketball champion with the family. He was not there, he participated in the video, and father, Rafa, collected the trophy. He made a nice gesture with Tomeu Rigo, a seriously injured Bilbao Basket player, and dedicated the award to him. Then it was the turn of Urdaibai, represented by Iker Zabala, his coach, the rowers Tabero and Gentza Zubiri and the board of directors Naroa San Millán. La Concha, the Eusko Label Liga… Almost nothing. And after passing through the sea, back to the field. Bilbao Basket, 600 games in the elite. Unforgettable. Rigo was with Isabel Iturbe, its president.
And on the pediment Aritz Erkiaga performs perfectly. The puntista won everything in the fronton last year, and he hoped that the new generations could continue with a traditional sport like the punta basket. Next came the time for football, for the world champion Athletic players. In the Sub’17 category, Jone Amezaga, Sara Ortega, Marina Artero and Eunate Astralaga. Sub’20, Ane Elexpuru, Clara Pinedo and Maite Zubieta.
And in the final stretch of the ceremony, it was the turn of Naia Aramendia, Spanish snowboard cross champion. The one from Sopela also had character. And she set goals. «For the world and for Europe. Let’s go for all of them!” And to the Bilbao City Council, represented by its mayor Juan Mari Aburto. The town will host the Grand Départ of the gala round in July. “We have already won. We are going to have the exit, but we have already won, “recalled the first mayor. Like all those who were in the BBK room on Monday.