Spain wins three medals at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships in Duisburg

World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Duisburg

La Spanish rowing team The national team, comprised of 11 athletes, capped off their brilliant performance in German waters by finishing ninth in the overall medal standings. They secured one silver and two bronze medals, with Esther Fuerte from Cádiz achieving a podium finish on the final day against the world's elite.

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El World Under-23 Rowing ChampionshipsThe regatta, held in the German city of Duisburg, has concluded, confirming the excellent competitive form of the Spanish delegation. With a representation of six boats, Spain has achieved a historic performance by winning three coveted medals: one silver and two bronzeThis result has allowed the national team to consolidate its ninth place in an event that brought together more than 600 athletes from 48 countries.

The closing Sunday, held on the iconic regatta course at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, brought the third great triumph for Spanish sport. The star of the show was the sailor from Cádiz. Esther Fuerte (Club Náutico Sevilla), who delivered a memorable performance to win the bronze medal in the demanding skiff event.

The Andalusian rower dominated the race with authority for the first 1.500 meters, coming close to the gold medal. In the decisive final stretch, she was overtaken by the power of the Lithuanian. Bianca-Camelia Ifteni, undefeated gold medalist with a time of 7:33.83, and by the Irish Sophia Youngwho took the silver medal (7:38:11). Fuerte capitalized on her early lead to secure a valuable third place with a time of 7:41.15, surpassing direct rivals from Germany, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. This success further solidifies the international profile of the athlete from La Línea, who already boasts world and European runner-up titles in the junior category.

In the discipline of men's skiff, the Basque rower Mikel Mardaras (CD Remo Arriluze de GetxoHe finished in an impressive ninth place overall worldwide. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the semifinals, Mardaras competed in the B final (consolation final) where he achieved third place. With a time of 6:55.38, and after an intense sprint in the final stretch, the Basque sailor finished just nine hundredths of a second behind second place, occupied by Lithuania, in a heat led by the Austrian boat.

Historical balance for the national medal count

Spain bids farewell to the competition with a remarkable performance Top 10 in the global medal countoccupying ninth place in a ranking led by the powers of Greece, the United States, and Great Britain. Only 19 nations managed to have their name included on the list of award winners.

In addition to the medal won by Esther Fuerte, two more medals were won on Saturday, marking an unprecedented milestone in their respective disciplines for Spanish rowing. The Galician rower Rocío Fraguela (Club Mar de Noia) was proclaimed brilliant runner-up, winning the silver medal in Paralympic PR3 skiffFor its part, the vessel of women's coxless four, made up of the Catalans Emma Alimbau y Aina Arteman, along with the Sevillanas Lidia Florido y Amanda Gil, completed the podium, adding a well-deserved bronze.

The Spanish team's performance was completed with the seventh overall position of the boat of men's double sculls of the Catalans Jordi Alexandrescu y Danilo Marqués, and the tenth place achieved by the two without a coxswain de Sergi Olid y Aleix Rangel, demonstrating the competitiveness of all the boats that traveled to the intercontinental event.