"The worse the sea is, the better it is for me", a statement that sums up very well the competitive nature of Ainhoa Rivas, the paddle surfer from Mijas who in mid-July was proclaimed U-18 champion in the Portuguese town of Viana do Castelo in one of the tests of the international circuit of the professional association of paddle surfing (APP World Tour). In the Praia Fluvial do Barracão dos Touros she had to face waves of up to two metres in a raging Atlantic Ocean, which even undermined the morale of some of her opponents from the starting line.
Rivas did not think twice, sounded the horn and faced the sea with her board. The first metres were crucial in the outcome of the long distance race. With each stroke, the 'Mijeña' kept her finger on the pulse of the water, which was trying to knock her down and bring her back to the shore. Each wave, an obstacle saved, keeping her balance, as if she were a tightrope walker who walks meters high on a thin and narrow cable. Meanwhile, her rivals, still on the shore, were waiting for their moment to start their contest. "For me it was a very fun race, one of those that I like to compete in and enjoy", said the athlete who added, "I don't like it when the sea is calm".
The distance that Rivas had over her adversaries was already considerable on the high seas, an advantage that allowed her to face the 17 kilometres of the course with guarantees. "The start was pretty tough, but it went quite well for me, I can't complain.
Finally, after 01h:59:40, Ainhoa Rivas crossed the finish line, proclaiming herself junior champion of this competition, beating the second classified, Inés Blin, by 15 minutes.
Third in the sprint
The epic competition in Portuguese waters of the junior paddleboarder from Or Training went beyond this long distance triumph. In the sprint competition she finished third. "I was thrown by a buoy, which forced me to go back to being third, I am very happy with the result because they are very short and very unpredictable races, in which anything can happen", she says.
Perhaps it is in this modality where the Mijeña has to improve, as she herself recognizes: "I am more of a long distance athlete, I have to improve in short distances, although everything has to be improved because you have to be a complete athlete, as my coach would say".
Constancy will not be an impediment, as she trains very hard every week: "Now, in summer, I do 4-5 days of water, about an hour, depending on what the coach marks, 3 days of gym and 2 days of running.
Family support
The fact that Ainhoa Rivas, Spanish runner-up in her category, is today competing at international level, is no coincidence. The 'fault' lies with her parents, who bought her a recreational paddle board. Her interest in mastering it led her to the facilities of Paddle Surf Fuengirola for private lessons. Two weeks later, she was already competing in federated competitions: "Our teacher suggested it to our group and we all went to Iznájar to have fun, for fun, we really liked the atmosphere, with people of the same age and, in the end, we got motivated and started to go to all the competitions".
From that first moment, Rivas has received the support of her parents: "I am very grateful, they are always there, although my mother sometimes has a hard time when the water is choppy, but then she screams at the top of her lungs, like my father. My family from Salamanca, from Puerto de Béjar, are also very supportive".
For the 'Mijeña', a fan of all sports and reading mystery stories, being part of the national team is a dream and a medium-term goal: "I would like to go to a World Cup or a European Championship".
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