A board, a skiff and a kite, fighting in Santander waters. Photo: María Muiña

Santander gave his best face to the Movistar Champions Challenge on Sunday. Yesterday's rains gave way to the sun and a wind for a unique challenge: a kite table, a windsurfing table and a 49th FX. The public of Santander has also not disappointed in a busy Duna de Zaera animated by the godmother of the event, the twice gold medal Theresa Zabell. And as incredible as it may seem with three disciplines so different, there has been... a triple tie!

Around 11: 30 in the morning the steps of the dune, located next to the Vela High Performance Centre, began to be filled. Among the public, both on land and in water, known faces. This challenge has not been missed Santi-Lopez- Vázquez, Olympic in Sydney 2000 and sailing coach; president of the Royal Spanish Vela Federation, Julia Casanueva; Olympic champion Fernando Echávarri with his family and world champion and director of the Movistar Team, Pedro Campos;...

Gisela Polido and her kite from Kitesurf, Marina Paliau and her RS board: X and the tandem formed by Támara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos in FX. Four athletes, almost 20 world titles and two Olympic oars in the same field and the result could not have been more equal: six tests and triple tie to 12 points. Two first, two seconds and two third for Marina, Gisela and Tara and Berta. It has certainly been a result that no one expected, not even the protagonists.

Flying with foils
There was a sense of complicity among athletes, friends and teammates, but as Gisela said "We are all competitive and in the end we all want to win. "The fact is that weather conditions have played a fundamental role in the Movistar Champions Challenge, as it was not easy with boats so different that all of them were comfortable.

It was also not easy to find a race field that was good for all because each board / boat is better for a course. For Gisela, the way. For Marina, Berta and Támara, stern or dyed.

The first act was three foyer races (in the case of Támara, in Moth). And there, Marina Paliau was the fastest.

In the second act, without fils, there was medium and light wind. With medium-strong wind, Gisela sent in the test. With light wind, the 49th FX of Berta and Támara.

Final result: triple tie, three champions.

Results
Polished Gisela (Kitesurf), 2 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 12 points
Marina Paliau (Windsurf), 1 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 12 points
Támara Echegoyen / Berta Betanzos (49erFX / Moth), 3 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 12 points

Statements

Marina Paliau
The truth is, he's impressed. It's been pretty hard physically, actually I've ended up a little dead. We've been in the water for three hours. In the last sleeve the wind has come down, I have had to row and that has made me wear out a lot physically. But it's been so much fun, we've tied up and according to whether we were going with Foil or without it, according to the route, there was always one that was faster than the others. The last sleeve has been very interesting, which we have finally tied.

I've felt much more comfortable with Foil. I was going fast, I didn't need to row, and I had the painful arms of a little injury that with the other board I was not allowed to row and go out on the plan.

Gisela Polido
It was a pass. Especially the first part, when we've been three with foils Sailing over the water. It's something I'm not used to because I usually just sail with the freestyle board, so just the fact of changing board and sailing over water has been a very cool thing.

In the second part, when I've already sailed with a freestyle board, I've found myself more comfortable because that's what I'm used to. On this occasion the races have been more favourable to me because the rushes through were very good, although on the last one it has been almost impossible for me because the wind was very, very loose.

We've worked as a team and in the end all three of us have done very good results, so I'm very, very happy. Being able to sail next to Támara and Berta in the 49th and Marina with the windsurfing board has been an incredible feeling, and riding with them on the boat has been better yet.

Támara Echegoyen
It's been a fun morning. For us the challenge was also an excuse to be together in the water and I think we have seen all four a great complicity. We've been sailing for hours but we've enjoyed it to the end and it's been a great idea to get together in Santander Bay, so we're already waiting for the next challenge.

There's been a little bit of everything. With these different boats it is difficult to make a journey in which we were all comfortable, but the truth is that it has gone very well and there has been a lot of equality besides that we have had a great time sailing all together.

Berta Betanzos
It is true that Gisela with her freestyle board has gone a little ahead and it was noticed that she had more speed than Marina and us. In that part our fight was with Marina and it was also very fun, but in the last sleeve we tried to be a little closer to Gisela and it was not easy.

As Támara says, making a tour where we could all get the most out of our ships was not easy and it is difficult to compare, but in the end that triple tie has come out.