Aritz Erkiaga and Elaia Gogenola, the leading forwards for the Euskal Selekzioa, are sharpening their skills for the Bilbao Iron Cup cesta punta tournament, aiming for their third consecutive championship. This event, a scoring competition for the Jai Alai League circuit, has seen significant success in its past two editions, drawing large crowds to the Club Deportivo de Bilbao fronton.
In the men's championship, five pairs are vying for the title to be decided on June 5. These include Erkiaga-Manci, Urreisti-Basque, and Goitia-Gorka in Group A, alongside Johan-Atain, Olharan-Lekerika, and the preliminary round winners in Group B. The first day of matches will commence on May 1, from 7:00 PM, featuring Johan-Atain against the preliminary phase victors, and Erkiaga-Manci facing Urreisti-Basque. The semifinals are scheduled for May 22 and 29.
“"The intention is to win the txapela, but we know it's going to be a very tough championship. I see five extremely strong combinations. We will try to win the first match to go into the rest of the games with confidence."
Erkiaga noted that the playing field is more balanced this year, with several players like Johan, Basque, Urreisti, and Lekerika performing at an excellent level. Lekerika, for his part, affirmed that it is "one of the most important tournaments of the year," expressing great enthusiasm due to the fantastic atmosphere. He believes that Erkiaga-Manci and Urreisti-Basque are a step above the rest, despite Mikel's recent injury.
Erkiaga already holds two titles in Bilbao. He secured the first with Ibarluzea and the second with Gorka Sorozabal. Meanwhile, Elaia Gogenola, from Berriatua, has two women's txapelas, partnering with Ihart (2024) and Frida (2025). In the women's category, Elaia Gogenola will compete on Saturday in the quarter-final qualifiers alongside Eneritz Lizardi, against Helena-Frida. The other match will be between Erika-Maia and Ihart-Arai. Lur-Oaia and Maite-Maialen await in the semifinals.
