The Galician Iago López Marra (i) and the cantabre Diego Botín celebrating the victory in Medemblik. Photo: S. Van der Borch

It was a race to face or cross, in which there was no chance of error. The Delta Lloyd Regatta de Medemblik was the competition designated by the Real Federación Española de Vela to choose the crew of 49er who will represent Spain at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. Three were the candidates for them. Diego Botín and Iago López Marra and the brothers Federico and Arturo Alonso and Carlos and Antón Paz. A unique race could go from everything, and what happened is that Botín and López Marra won the Delta Lloyd and consequently the classification for the Games.

That is, the bureaucratic process of being ratified and confirmed by the Olympic Selection Committee is missing, but given the view and the form and advantage that the cantabre and the Galician have won, the federal verdict seems clear.

Diego Botín and Iago López Marra

The song and the Galician reached the Delta Lloyd Regatta at its sweetest time. A race they won in 2015 and this year they have repeated success. His career in the past year has been ascending to all levels. In the last months European champions in Barcelona and third in Sofia. It's really the crew that's more fit, of this there's no doubt. In Medemblik they have gone from beginning to end and won the race even before the Medal Race, which has shown its superiority, not only among the Spaniards.

Botín and López Marra sailing towards victory. Photo: S. Van der Borch

Federico and Arturo Alonso

The Asturians arrived in Medemblik 'touched', after having first been the a priori crew classified for Rio. The third place in the World Cup in San Isidro in 2015 seemed to give them almost the Olympic pass, but the race was cancelled as selective as the 2016 Sports Guide had not been approved by a delegated commission that should have met during the term of office of José Ángel Rodríguez Santos, and that was never done. This caused the Guide to not be approved and the Olympic pass to a race to be played again, and this has been Medemblik in which it has been ten. They've raised the case to TAS.

Federico and Arturo Alonso in the waters of Medemblik. Photo: S. Van der Borch

Carlos and Antón Paz

At first they were not included in order to be eligible for the Olympic classification, since the resources reached to the RFEV were only included Botín / López Marra and the Alonso brothers; but finally their claims were heard and at the last minute the RFEV Board of Directors agreed that they could participate in the selective process of Medemblik, considering that they had met in the 2016 World Cup in Clearwater. The Gallegos have finished fifths and until the end have had their options to the podium and put in more than a pinch to Botín and López Marra.

Anton and Carlos Paz riding buoy in Medemblik. Photo: S. Van der Borch

In the end it was a trial, in which everything was played in one card, and this one was for Diego and Iago.

Text: Jaume Soler
Blog: www.jaumesoler.net
Twitter: @ SolerAlberti