A new generation of Spanish rowers

The European Championships is the first step for Spain on the road to qualifying as many boats as possible for the 2016 Rio Olympics. In a country where rowing is a minority sport, rowers and coaches have worked tirelessly to increase participation and maintain funding throughout the nation’s economic crisis.

Their hard work has paid off.  Over the past few years, the young Spanish team found new success at the World Rowing Junior and World Rowing Under 23 Championships. At last year’s under-23 championships Spain qualified five boats for the A-finals, with an inspiring second-place finish for the lightweight men’s four.

Marc Franquet Montfort, stroke seat of the men’s lightweight four, made his international debut at the 2008 junior championships with a sixth place finish in the men’s junior eight. He competed on the world scene for several years before winning a bronze medal at the 2011 under-23 championships in Amsterdam. Franquet is part of the young generation of Spanish rowers making themselves known at the international level. “We have been getting good results at the under-23 and junior level in the last years so it's a question of time before these people reach a good senior level,” says Franquet.

Bow seat of the lightweight men’s four, Daniel Sigurjorsson Benet was a new addition to the 2012 boat. Benet, who was at the junior championships in 2007, placed third at the 2011 under-23 champs in the lightweight men’s double sculls. Both Franquet and Sigurjorsson will compete at the European champs next weekend, Franquet will stroke the lightweight four and Sigurjorsson moves to the lightweight pair.

Seventeen of the 33 Spanish athletes racing at the European champs competed at the under-23 level last year. With the added home-water advantage, this young team hopes to not only excite fans, but also have the chance to row at the World Rowing Championships in Chungju, Korea. “The main goal is to make the final in the European Rowing Championships and fight for the medals and then get the chance to compete in the World Championships in Korea,” says Franquet.

Franquet is a good example of the development path that has been established in Spain. He began at the Amposta development centre in Catalonia before moving to high performance training centres in both Banyoles and Seville. This development strategy allows young athletes to train at smaller facilities which are often closer to home. Promising athletes then move to the high performance centres which provide athletes the opportunity to train together, combining intensity training, weight lifting and long distance rowing.  

Veronica Garcia Mulet is also currently training at the centre in Seville. Mulet placed fourth in the lightweight women’s double sculls at the 2012 under-23 championships, but admits that it can be difficult to be a female rower in Spain.

“Most of the time our friends ask us, ‘Why do you row? Why do you do that to yourself?’ They can’t understand how you can love such a sport that destroys your hands and takes so much of your free time,” she says. Yet, the Rio Olympics are in sight. “Of course Rio 2016 would be worth a try. For me it is just incredibly far away.”

Franquet adds, “The main part of the team is very young people, so the challenge is to build a team to try to qualify many boats for the Rio Olympics.” With these up-and-coming rowers, they are well on their way.

Also racing in Seville is Spain’s only woman rower to make an Olympic Games final. Nuria Dominguez Asensio made the final of the women’s single sculls at the Athens Olympics and she continues to race at the top level. Now teamed up in the women’s double sculls with Anna Yuchenko, the duo finished fourth at last year’s European Rowing Championships.

European Championship medals for Spain are a real possibility.