During the last half year, there were four destroyed men, who arrived home “made dust”, “tired like never” and that they were already Olympic and world champions.
“It’s been a while since I was vomiting after a training,” said Saul Craviotto, at 36, who returned to his youth, when his body had not yet become accustomed to the effect of lactic acid and the ‘balloons’ stirred the
stomach.
During the last half year, there were four destroyed men and this Friday they received the reward: Olympic Subcampeons of the K4 500, the category that all countries want to dominate – were 1,000 meters – the queen test of canoeing.
From the 1976 Montreal Games, that silver with a wooden kayak, Spain did not hang a medal by teams and finally it was another silver.
The most desired gold came, the victory of all time against Germany, two tenths were missing, but had the same merit for having overcome a thousand obstacles and even by accepting the challenge.
Because everyone knew that he demanded too much.
He had to be defeated first to power as Hungary and Slovakia and then to Germany, the country that accumulates more medals in this sport.
The first step came out only when at the end of 2017, Craviotto, Marcus Walz, Cristian Toro, “which would later be replaced by Carlos Arévalo, and Rodrigo Germade.
The second was an eternal war, month by month, year after year.
In all the competitions, Spain coincided with Germany and in all lost … until this May.
After a year and a half paron by the pandemic, they met again at the World Cup and, this time, he defeated the ship leading Craviotto.
Do you presage for games?
Mirage?
Apparently this Friday at the Tokyo Forest Waterway on a gray day, under the rain – like so many in Tersona, in Asturias, where they train-, nor one thing or another.
She had it, she had it, and she escaped him in the last 100 meters.
The exit of the group was excellent, to the compass of Germany, and its acceleration was so good that it came to the Ecuador of the Test, at 250 meters, with three tenths of advantage over its rivals.
All the members of the Spanish delegation shouted at what it seemed, the gold, the greatest, but centimeter at the beginning, the German ship approaching to turn the golden dream into a silver dream.
It was the end of a path that began between doubts, who continued between doubts and that ended up with doubts.
At first it was for the coupling of the ship.
When after the 2016 Rio games disappeared a very very category, the K2 200, and Spain decided to bet on the K4 500, the idea of gathering the best was very attractive, but presented problems.
By synchronization, of course, and by weight contrast.
Craviotto would go before yes, but with him, huge, 95 kilos, the boat sank and there was to work to raise and plan.
It was worse the process to find accompanists.
Many selective organized the Federation, plus Toro turned away from exhaustion, and in the last there was a mess.
The complaint of Carlos Garrote’s daily destabilized the rest, but the group refuses with that gold in the World Cup.
Only in Tokyo, the nerves returned, the fear of vacuum.
When Arévalo and Craviotto were left without a medal in the K1 200 it was trembled by the possibility of leaving nothing, but finally this Saturday all those problems disappeared.
Spain already has silver in K4 500, it is not the most desired gold, it did not reach the top of canoeing, but it was close.
So many sacrifices were worth it.
