Club Deportivo Pingüinos de Arrecife has culminated a historic season by standing out as the best Canary club in the Spanish Alevín – Junior Summer Artistic Swimming Championship. The event, held from July 10 to 13 at the Club Natación Metropole facilities in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, brought together the elite of national artistic swimming, including members of the Spanish junior team, recognized worldwide.
A total of 22 athletes from the Alevín and Junior categories of Club Pingüinos attended the event together with their coach Alessandra Mauri. The Lanzarote club returned home with three national medals, coming close to glory on several occasions and consolidating its position among the best in Spain and the best in the Canary Islands.
The pool witnessed moments of pure adrenaline, where the difference between the podium and the fourth position was measured in tenths, leaving a bittersweet taste but, above all, enormous motivation to continue. Each stroke, each impulse, was a testament to their tireless work and passion for the sport.
In this first division championship, where a total of 8 federations met (Andalusia, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Castilla y León, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and Valencia), the young talents of Pingüinos competed alongside the elite of these categories, among whom are the members of the Spanish junior team, who were given a well-deserved tribute for their excellent results, Champions of the Trophy for the best team in the European Junior Championship competition held last June in Greece.
● Alevín Figures (210 athletes): The twelve alevines had an outstanding performance, highlighting the silver medal of Avril Bethencourt Romero in her year (2014). In addition, Avril Bethencourt Romero (16th) and Mar Saavedra (21st) managed to qualify among the top 30.
● Alevín Duet: The duet formed by Avril Bethencourt Romero (2014), Mar Saavedra González (2013) and Carla Martín Perera (2013) swam the third best routine in Spain with 119.7750 points. Despite this, they were left with a meritorious fourth place out of the 24 duets classified for the final (out of 33 participants).
● Combined Routine: The combined routine team obtained a remarkable fifth place out of 20 with a score of 183.6208, only 8.5836 points from gold (Sincro Retiro from Madrid). They delighted with their “One Piece” routine Avril Bethencourt Romero (2014), Alba De Eusebio Fontes (2014), Martyna Golawska Reguilon (2014), Vega Jiménez Manzano (2013), Carlota Martín Barreiro (2014), Carla Martín Perera (2013), Eva Penichet Fernández (2014), Mar Saavedra González (2013), Julieta Cabrera Osuna (2013), Natalia Martínez Alayón (2014), Alba Méndez López-Socas (2014) and Bárbara Sáenz Cabral (2013).
● Alevín Team Final: The alevín team once again demonstrated its high level by swimming the third best routine in Spain (with 143.9413 points). Avril Bethencourt Romero (2014), Alba De Eusebio Fontes (2014), Martyna Golawska Reguilon (2014), Vega Jiménez Manzano (2013), Carlota Martín Barreiro (2014), Carla Martín Perera (2013), Eva Penichet Fernández (2014), Mar Saavedra González (2013), Julieta Cabrera Osuna (2013) and Alba Méndez López-Socas (2014), achieved a fourth place out of the 20 classified teams, with a score of 235.1251, only 08.3888 points from gold (C.N. Kallipolis).
Pingüinos Júnior: Historic Bronzes and Fight for the Podium The júnior category of Club Pingüinos, with 10 athletes, left a significant mark on the championship, highlighting:
● Men's Technical and Free Solo: Eduardo Curbelo Plata (2010) won a well-deserved bronze medal, which allowed him to qualify for the Men's Free Solo, where he revalidated his bronze medal, consolidating his talent at the national level.
● Women's Technical and Free Duet: The couple formed by Adriana Cabrera Pérez (2009) and Vega Martínez Morales (2009) showed great synchronicity, qualifying in 16th place out of 33 applicants and maintaining the same position in the Free Duet.
● Mixed Technical Duet: With an exceptional routine, the mixed duet composed of Eduardo Curbelo Plata (2010) and Vega Martínez Morales (2009), together with Adriana Cabrera Pérez (2009), won a bronze medal. Their outstanding performance earned them qualification for the Free Duet, where they again revalidated the bronze, staying only 13.9700 points from the gold of Sincro Retiro and very close to the silver of C.N. Sabadell.
● Acrobatic Routine: In a test of explosion of jumps and great emotion, the athletes Laura Alemán Salvago (2009), Daniela Brito Espino (2010), Adriana Cabrera Pérez (2009), Sergio Castellano Ramírez (2006), Eduardo Curbelo Plata (2010), Dolores De León Delgado (2010), Eva Díaz Fajardo (2008), Vega Martínez Morales (2009), Maeva Méndez López-Socas (2009) and Victoria Romero Martín (2010), remained in the fight for the podium until the last moment. With a score of 148.4575, they finished in a meritorious fourth place, just one point from the bronze that went to C.N. Kallipolis, while the silver went to C.N. Granollers and the gold to C.N.S. Fabionelli.
The large influx of family members from Lanzarote to support the athletes reflected the commitment and passion that surrounds the club. The technical director, Sylvia Hernández, congratulated her technical team and all the athletes for their excellent results, stating: "We want more seasons like this".
Isabel Martín, president of Club Pingüinos, stated: "It is the best season in our history". And these results are added to those obtained by the INFANTIL category in the Spanish Championship held in Valladolid where they were THIRD OF SPAIN by Clubs, where the club demonstrated a clear superiority in the children's male category with Miguel Martínez Morales, who was proclaimed Champion of Spain, and Eduardo Curbelo Subchampion, as well as the Silver Medal in Mixed Duet of the couple formed by Victoria Romero Martín and Miguel Martínez Morales.
She thanked the entire technical team and board for their effort and dedication. This extraordinary success is the result of everyone's effort and dedication. “It has been possible thanks to the tireless commitment of each of the athletes, the constant and expert work of the technical team led by Sylvia Hernández, with Alessandra Mauri at the foot of the pool, as well as Ylenia Felipe and the collaborations of Arantxa Quesada and the sisters Nayara and Hiurma Peña, whose guidance has been crucial to achieving these goals.”
Special thanks to the host team, CN METROPOLE, for the excellent organization and for offering their facilities to host this event. Thanks to the public institutions and all our sponsors, whose support is essential for sports projects like ours to continue and achieve these ambitious goals.
These successes are the result of the joint effort of the families, the Club, the RCNA and the institutional support of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, EPEL-CACT, Arrecife City Council, Government of the Canary Islands, Teguise City Council, Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society and collaborating companies.
