The Biscayan club has seen a total of seven departures from last season's squad. Among the rowers leaving the boat are Alexandru Tacu, Urdax Antepara, Sebas Acerbi, Manuel Caneda, Javier García, Raúl García, Julián Villanustre, and the youth team member Iñigo Ibañez. New additions include Fernando Ruiz, Franco Nicolas Repetto, Asier Llanas, Manuel Gutiérrez, and Ismael Curro, along with several young rowers from the club's academy. "There have been many changes. Seven of the nineteen main rowers are new, so we are talking about a significant squad renewal," notes Dani Pérez.
The 2025 season was excellent for Zierbena. After winning the Biscay championship, the Galipa squad secured three victories in the Eusko Label Liga, although Orio dominated from start to finish. Pérez's team achieved its first win in the time trial in Pasaia, the second in the Lekeitio regatta, and the third in Getaria. Additionally, they finished second on nine occasions.
The start of the current season has not met expectations in terms of results. They were unable to retain their Biscay championship title and settled for the bronze medal. In the Euskadi championship, they competed in the first heat but finished fifth, behind Hondarribia and Getaria. In the national traineras championship, they took third place, 18 seconds behind the winner Orio and 6 seconds behind Donostiarra.
"We are currently a point below last year's level," admits the coach. "With so many changes, we cannot demand the same performance as in previous seasons. Logically, we are Zierbena and we want to compete at the top, but we must be aware of the situation." Pérez adds that the team has significant room for improvement and they will continue working.
Dani Pérez is satisfied with the daily work of his rowers, although he acknowledges he would like to be closer to the front. "In daily training, we cannot ask for more. Regarding results, we do want to be closer to the top to secure a spot in the honor band, but it is not easy. I believe the team has room for progression, and as they gel better, we can be higher up."
The coach has clear objectives for the upcoming season, which starts at the end of June: "The first objective is to be in the honor band. The second is to approach the level we had in the previous two seasons." Pérez also points out the uncertainty regarding the inclusion of youth team quotas, which could slightly alter the performance of some boats. "The competition will be very demanding, with many high-level rivals," he predicts.
Pérez considers it "premature" to talk about victories this season. "The first thing is to reduce the gap we have compared to our references from recent years. We are between five and ten seconds behind and must focus on closing that distance." "Orio and Donostiarra have strengthened, while Bermeo and we have renewed. The Biscayan teams still have a lot of adaptation work ahead of us," he concludes.
