It only took us two hours to locate her through her press officer David Blay. It is clear that you can be a star and not be a “Diva” and not die trying. This reminds me of a Snow trip we made at Christmas exactly 4 years ago, where we coincided in a “transfer” from Munich to the Sölden station with Aksel Lund Svindal. A person who traveled with us, without any kind of security or bodyguards, or with eccentricities who turned out to be, just a few weeks later, the skier who won the most medals at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. He joined us to be able to get to Innsbruck where his technical team was waiting for him. The number 1 in alpine skiing crammed into a taxi with 6 strangers. Just like with football stars.
Here are a few lines about Queralt Castellet and the comments she made during our telephone conversation. If you don't know her, don't hesitate to start cheering her on right now as she takes part in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. Believe me, she deserves all the encouragement in the world.
At her first X Games, Queralt finished 7th and at Aspen 2014 she finished 5th, a worse result than she expected due to a fall in the first round: “I am happy with the result because despite the fall I was able to finish in 5th position so I can't complain”.
I don't know if you know that the X Games Barcelona 2014 were being organised but they were finally cancelled due to budget cuts. Castellet was at the previous games and is clear that they have to be held there again: “I was at the previous X Games in Barcelona and the setup was very good but it rained a lot. Barcelona is a great city that deserved the 2014 Games both for its recognition and popularity and for its athletes”.
Queralt took part in the Winter Olympics (Turin, 2006) for the first time at the age of 17, finishing 26th in the Halfpipe discipline. Eight years later, she is one of the favourites.
Regarding the upcoming Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi (Russia) and the pressure from the media that are betting on her as one of the Spanish promises to reach the podium, Castellet humbly explains to us: “I try to stay out of the news, away from what they say about me because I only want the pressure that I put on myself. I am going to do my best and that is the only thing that worries me, what I can do, not what they say about me.”.
He left his marketing career, his family and friends and began to follow winter all over the world so he could practice snowboarding and be ready for all the competitions.
When it is summer here, she is training in New Zealand where she lives most of the year and when winter comes to the Northern hemisphere she prepares in the USA. “where the best conditions for training are” and participates in all the championships that are held. “The hardest thing has been being separated from my family, but in Spain the conditions for training are not right, so I had to make the decision to go to New Zealand and commit myself 100% to snowboarding. There will be time to be home later!”.
Tips from a snowboarding pro
We asked her to get wet and pick a rider, a board and a resort. Here's what she had to say:
· The best rider: “The one with the most talent is the American Danny Davis and the one with the most jumping ability is the Canadian Mark McMorris”.
· The best board: “Yonex is a very personal choice, it is the one that suits you. Yonex is a Japanese carbon fiber brand and does not use wood, so it is much lighter and its rigidity lasts longer. It has taken me many years to get the perfect type of board: width, rigidity, etc.”.
· The best season: Mammoth (California)
Castellet knows that he would not have achieved all this if it were not for his sponsors: “I wouldn’t have gotten here if it hadn’t been for my sponsors: the Spanish Ski Federation, Yonex, Red Bull and Oakley. I’m very grateful.”.
Good luck Queralt!
To finish this post we leave you with several videos of Queralt. Enjoy them!!
