Maria de Valdes met the forecasts and climbed to the podium at the Europeans in Rome, after hanging the silver medal this Saturday in the 5-kilometer test in the open water modality.
De Valdés, who spent a time of 57:00.2 minutes to complete the three laps of the course, was 1.5 seconds behind the Dutchwoman Sharon van Rouwendaal, who revalidated the title of continental champion that she achieved last year in Budapest with a mark of 56.58.7. The Italian completed the podium Giulia Gabbrielleschi, who hung the bronze medal with a record of 57:00.3 minutes.
“The truth is that I am supercontenta because I have been fighting it throughout the test. I wanted that podium, although I knew it would be very difficult, because the level was very high, but in the end all the work of the season has paid off,” Valdés said in statements broadcast by the Spanish Swimming Federation.
Take the thorn out of Budapest
After finishing fifth in the past World Cups in Budapest, in which De Valdés was just over 4 seconds away from the bronze medal, the swimmer from Malaga was not willing to let anything or anyone take her away from the podium this time.
For this, the Fuengirolawho will turn 24 next October, did not hesitate to take the lead from the start.
“I wanted to give it all from the start and whatever came out, that’s why I’ve been training very hard”, explained the Andalusian swimmer.
A sensational staging that allowed the Andalusian swimmer to complete the first lap of the course in first position ahead of the French Aurelie Muller and the Italian Giulia Gabbrielleschi, silver in the last Europeans.
First position that María de Valdés kept until she doubled the last buoy in which the Spanish was affected by the strong waves that were experienced this Saturday on the beaches of Ostia.
“It is true that I’ve drifted a bitbecause I didn’t see the last straight well, but I have fought to be able to be side by side with the best until the end”, said De Valdés.
And it is that the Spanish was clear that the fight for the medals was going to be decided in the final sprint, in which once again the fastest was the Dutch Sharon van Rouwendaal, who added her third consecutive title European champion of the distance.
But if María de Valdés could not with the powerful end of the Dutch, the Malaga did resist the final attack of the Italian Giulia Gabbrielleschi, from whom she snatched the silver medal for just a tenth.
Further back the test concluded the other Spanish representative, Angela Martinezwho finished in sixteenth position with a time of 59:43.0 minutes.
Eleven medals already in the championship
With the silver achieved this Saturday by María de Valdés in Rome, the Spanish swimming counts a total of eleven medals -1 gold, 6 silvers and 4 bronzes- at the European Championships in the open water category.
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A figure that María de Valdés will try to increase this Sunday in the tests of 10 kilometres, the Olympic distance, and the 4×1,250 meters mixed relay.
“It’s going to be complicated, because there are a lot of tests in just two days and they are super difficult tests, but you have to dream big“De Valdes concluded.