Road to Paris 2024

In 2022, I started feeling a tingling sensation inside me. What if I qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics? That possibility began to take shape on the horizon, and although I wasn’t staring directly at it, I knew it was there, waiting for me.

This edition of the Olympics was especially significant for surfers, as it would be held at the legendary wave of Teahupo’o in Tahiti. For those who don’t know it, this wave is in the top 3 of the best waves in the world, if not the very best. At that moment, I had an idea: I proposed to ION, one of my sponsors, that we carry out an audiovisual project in Teahupo’o. Not only was it every surfer’s dream, but it could also serve as crucial training for an important event two years later. Fortunately, ION agreed, and I was able to make that trip a reality. The result was incredible. (Here are two videos from the trip: one on the wave and one beyond the wave).

But of course, you don’t get to the Olympics just by surfing. The spots are highly contested, and the road is long. I set to work, pushing myself a little more each day, aligning my mind, body, and boards with the help of my team. Before I knew it, I was fighting for a spot on the national team that would compete in the Olympic qualifiers in Puerto Rico. And before I knew it, I was there, in Puerto Rico, competing for the last Olympic spots.

And then it happened: the president of the ISA handed me my ticket to Paris 2024. Without a doubt, it was one of the best moments of my life. I enjoyed it to the fullest, surrounded by my team and friends, celebrating this unforgettable achievement together.

But once I was there, I wanted more. I gave it my all and managed to secure 6th place in the pre-Olympic world championships in Puerto Rico, a decisive result for achieving a good ranking for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This achievement allowed me to live a dream experience for any surfer: going to Tahiti to learn to surf and compete at Teahupo’o.

I want to especially thank my friend and mentor, Aritz Aranburu, for organizing and executing these crucial preparation trips, as well as Basque Team and the Higher Sports Council, without whose support these trips wouldn’t have been possible. All these adventures, leading up to the Olympics themselves, were incredible experiences that allowed me to continue growing as a person and as a surfer.

Finally, the day arrived for my trip to Tahiti to compete in the Olympics and become the first Spanish Olympic surfer. I was nervous, yes, but also motivated and calm, ready to enjoy the experience. I was fulfilling a childhood dream by competing at Teahupo’o alongside many of my favorite surfers, and an adult dream by becoming an Olympian, achieving one of the biggest platforms in sports worldwide.

I won’t lie, I would have loved to keep advancing through the rounds, but I wouldn’t trade anything for my first Olympic experience. Another experience that stands out is being in Paris, in the Olympic Village, alongside all the athletes, and watching them compete in the stadium where the athletics events took place. It was incredible. It stirred something deep inside me to see how these athletes were fulfilling dreams they had fought and sweated for over four years. Pure respect and admiration.

This is how I concluded my first Olympic experience, carrying with me memories and lessons that I will treasure forever.