"Sport shapes us and surrounds us with very interesting people, I think that's the most important thing."
Estela Navascués, Cristián Toro and Izaskun Osés share their experience at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 games.
The V Olympic Sports Week of the University of Navarra began with a roundtable to position of the marathon athlete Estela Navascués; the canoeist Cristian Toro, winner in the modality of calm waters; and the Paralympic athlete Izaskun Osés, bronze medal in the 1500 m category.
The three athletes, participants in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, shared their experience in different areas of sport. Although they are now professionally dedicated to a discipline, they relate that they tried different paths until they found their own. They also emphasized the value of perseverance, effort, humility and enthusiasm as keys to growth in sport.
The athlete from Tudela, Estela Navascués, who had to withdraw in plenary session of the Executive Council marathon due to a heat stroke, says that "it was a shame not to finish the Olympic marathon, but I can be proud of having made it. I hope to be fighting these three years to make it to Tokyo again".
The Galician canoeist Cristian Toro said that "sport is more than being in the Olympic Games, it is the training from the beginning, from the lower categories, and that everyone achieves their goals. Sport forms us and surrounds us with very interesting people, I think that's the most important thing," he continued.
On the other hand, the Paralympic athlete Izaskun Osés, valued positively her participation in the Rio Games. In the Paralympic Games there are limited places for each country and "you always have to be ahead to get there. I arrived in Rio, I had trained a lot, I knew I would arrive well and I said to myself: Izaskun, you have to enjoy yourself".
Among those attending the event were Carmen Alba, delegate of the Government of Navarra; Rubén Goñi, director of Sports of the Government of Navarra; Tomás Gómez-Acebo, Vice President of Alumni; Alberto Rodríguez, president of ANACCOLDE; Felipe Besada, president of the Navarra Canoeing Federation; Blas Arróniz, president of the Navarra Federation of Adapted Sports; Elena Acaz, president of the association Youth Volunteers of Navarra (ASVONA) and Gemma Garro, of the Olite City Council.