The three young local winners in the 2023 Spanish Surfing Championship have been honored in Teguise with a plaque for "their sporting career, their triumphs and for being an example of effort and dedication." This Friday, the mayor, Olivia Duque and the Councilor for Sports, Alejandro Ramírez, have received them with a gift.
The three athletes recently participated in the Spanish Surfing Championship, held in Valdoviño (Galicia), achieving great success. In the case of Dylan Donegan, he won the first place in the national title in the Under 16 category, Alejo Valido, did the same in Under 14, and Conor Donegan was fourth in the Men's Under 18. In each of the categories they had to face about thirty competitors, and they admitted to being very nervous, especially Dylan who in the last minute of his final heat managed to ride a wave that gave him an excellent score.
In the meeting with the municipal representatives, the three surfers acknowledged that their goal is to "be part of the surfing elite." "We are training daily, in Famara and La Santa, an average of four hours to reach, first of all, the European and then the World Championship," explained Conor Donegan.
Olivia Duque has taken note of the "need to create an association of local surfers" and "the impulse", with the help of the Island Council, of a "junior championship" that "serves as a showcase for these guys to get more sponsors and guarantee their professional careers."
Next week, the three athletes will travel to Brazil to prepare for the pre-season for a month. "It is a sport that requires traveling and more when you don't want to settle," Valido acknowledged. In this sense, the three are receiving the support of their respective educational centers to be able to combine their studies with the demands of high competition.
Portugal as a mirror
For his part, the Councilor for Sports, Alejandro Ramírez, pledged to "work for the promotion" of this nautical sport and took note of the experience that they have promoted in 'Ericeida', a small fishing village in Portugal, which has become the epicenter of European surfing, specializing its accommodation and leisure offer in the practice of this sports modality.
The first Teguise mayor recalled that "the recent twinning of Teguise with the town of Nazaré in Portugal, which has become the world capital of giant waves, can help us exchange experiences to promote our coast, our waves and make our surfers better known outside the island borders."
