Alvaro Fiuza and Walter Bouzan are second at the Oklahoma World Cup.
Alvaro Fiuza and Walter Bouzan finished second in the K2 Marathon at the Oklahoma World Canoeing Championships. Here's the full report, written directly by Alvaro Fiuza.
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"The days before, the pre-race nerves had already begun, but the kind you enjoy, the kind that builds rather than weakens you. The night before was good, so much so that I slept 9 hours… It was hard to get out of the sheets. Breakfast was as usual: juice, oatmeal, toast, fruit, and for dessert, a family call. The best carbs before a race are Laura and the kids…"
We left the hotel a couple of hours early to check our gear and fill the suction cups with mineral salts, which would be a key part of the race this time. An hour beforehand, we began warming up, hydrating, and stretching—although under a good shade, as the sun was very strong. We left just 15 minutes to check the boats and get a feel for the water. I felt more comfortable than I had all year.
At 12:30 p.m. the start was given, and the madness of the first two laps began: fighting for the best position, inevitable bumps, the sound of breaking carbon, shouts of authority... We were positioned at the back, watching the scene and waiting for the tension to subside before we got into action. We had to pull ahead sooner than expected and take the lead; it didn't stop, and the first portage was approaching. Even before then, we had to grab the drink bag before entering the portage, which was essential to be able to hold on until the fourth lap without entering the refreshment area.
We managed to make a strong push, and we started marking the lead to be among the first to reach the portage. The hydration plan was starting. We had decided to bring salts on the way out and only go in once to grab another bag, when we usually do it three times. We had to take a risk; going in to drink would take a time penalty, but the day called for a lot of fluids. That didn't change our minds, and we decided to stick to what we'd discussed.
Twelve boats arrived at the first portage, so the following laps were going to continue to be tough. The selection of the lead group was very slow; the portages passed, and at each one, someone from the lead group dropped out. At the fourth portage, five canoes entered, and it was time to drink. Bikertt-Low's boat slowed us down as we entered the refreshment area, and I got hit on the head, but we saved ourselves well and managed to grab the last bag of drinks we were going to use.
The tugs are getting worse and worse in the leading group, and the pursuers don't give up trying to catch up. On the sixth lap, the second South African K2 is lost, leaving four boats at the front of the race: two Spanish boats, a South African boat, and a Hungarian boat. My head is starting to suffer; only 30 minutes into the race and the medals are close at hand. I start thinking about an article I read in Triathlon magazine, "Ironwar," although there were four of us here instead of two, and those companions could change what had happened in previous years with the two Spanish K2s...
In short: In previous years, Merchan-Ivan had denied us gold, just as Dave Scott denied Mark Allen at the Kona Ironman. We wanted to achieve what Allen achieved in 1989: beat his bête noire.
The last lap is approaching, Walter tells me he's feeling very cramped, the drink strategy didn't work 100%, but I tell him I'm going all out and to relax, we can make a mess of things.We reach the eighth and final lap, everything is going as planned, we reach the last straight marking, we manage to defend the position and run with the South Africans, but a rough portage for the k2 of Merchan-Iván makes them fall, Emilio colliding with Walter in his fall, the South Africans avoid and disembark first, everything changes, the two favorite k2 fight to get the victory, but this time there was someone else at the party, it's as if in 89 Allen only thinks about Scott and vice versa and, a Raña comes and wins both, what would happen? ... I don't know!
In this case... they were better than us in the sprint, only 670 thousandths of a second separated us from McGregor-Mocke, and we were 210 thousandths ahead of Merchan-Iván. It wasn't the "Ironwar," of course, but I was thinking about it to keep me motivated, in my eagerness to beat that magnificent K2 of Merchan-Iván, and yes! We won, but it wasn't enough; there was another, better K2.
Anecdotes aside, I received many messages from experts in this distance, telling me that it had been the best K2 race they had ever seen, so it wasn't the "Pirawar" but it was a great spectacle for lovers of this sport.
What comes after this silver? I can't speak for Walter... but I personally would like to win gold in the marathon again, at both the European and World Championships. Will I achieve it? I don't know, it will be very, very difficult... But I'll try, don't doubt it."
