The rowing clubs Hondarribia AE and SD Santiagotarrak-BM have returned successfully from the Spanish Championship held in Banyoles (Girona), securing a total of eight medals. In this competition for the cadet, junior, and U23 categories, Hondarribia AE accumulated eight medals, including the gold for the junior men's four without coxswain. Santiagotarrak, for its part, achieved two silvers and two bronze medals.
The Sevillian clubs Club Náutico de Sevilla and Real Círculo de Labradores dominated the three-day event, which brought together 450 crews from 61 clubs. Cadets rowed a distance of 1,500 meters, while junior and U23 boats completed 2,000 meters. With their eight podiums, Hondarribia AE ranked ninth in the medal table, and Santiagotarrak finished thirteenth.
The victory of Hondarribia AE's junior men's four without coxswain was one of the most significant results of the weekend. The crew formed by Manex Larretxea, Telmo Gaztelumendi, Ekhi Sistiaga, and Oihan Ceberio was the fastest in a close race, beating Náutico by just one second. The battle for third place was also tight, with Santiagotarrak narrowly edging out Labradores, who finished fourth, by only four hundredths of a second. Thus, rowers Inhar Romano, Unai Arcelus, Martin González, and Mikel Laguardia earned a commendable bronze.
In the cadet category, Hondarribia AE secured two silver medals in the women's quadruple scull and the men's coxless four. In the men's eight final, Hondarribia settled for bronze, finishing one second behind Náutico and four seconds behind the local team Banyoles, who won the final. Additionally, Santiagotarrak's women's quadruple scull also took bronze.
In the junior category, Hondarribia's eight boat won silver, finishing 1.8 seconds behind Labradores, while Santiagotarrak's boat came in fifth. The Hondarribia team also secured three more bronze medals in the men's quadruple scull, and in the women's coxless four and eight events.
In the U23 category, the best result was achieved by Santiagotarrak's women's coxless four boat, which took silver, finishing five seconds behind Náutico. Santiagotarrak, which entered 38 rowers in 17 boats, also achieved other notable results, such as the fourth place in the men's cadet coxless pair.
Furthermore, junior rowers Manex Larretxea and Ekhi Sistiaga from Hondarribia have been training since Monday at the CEAR in Sevilla after being called up by the Spanish Rowing Federation to participate in international competitions this summer.
Following the cadet, junior, and U23 championships, the Olympic rowing season will conclude next weekend with the state championships for the infant and veteran categories, to be held on the Guadalquivir River in Sevilla.
