We started the trip by flying to Chile; from there we drove to Aluminé (Argentina) where the rafting event took place. It was an experience full of joy for us since we had not experienced snow. The people received us very well. We stayed in a wonderful place with unique landscapes and snow-capped mountains. The weather was not in our favor since temperatures were sometimes at minus 2 degrees which we weren’t accustomed to. The great day of our debut in the world cup rafting arrived. 16 teams fought to be number 1. Our team managed to place itself among the 8th fastest in the world in the spring category.
Super excited, we arrived at the second day of the competition wanting to go further. That is when the H2h (head to head) fight or one on one began. Romania was our first rival, and we managed to move forward. Russia, a world power with a strong team and very tough character was waiting for us. We managed to beat them. It was a dream come true because for the first time in history a Tico team was among the top 4 in the world. Japan was ahead of us with some of the best rowing techniques in the world. Our team didn’t advance to the final but we achieved fourth place.
The third day of competition was slalom, our favorite and our strength. We were super-fast; however, we did not win the medal. The last day we arrived ardent with desire to win the competition for which we had trained for months. However it was not our day; with a lot of cold rain and without the right equipment, we finished eighth in the down river. It was a world championship full of emotions, joys and uncertainty if we could win a medal. On this journey, we left with good friends and great stories to tell. Now we have to keep training hard for that dream of becoming the # 1 in the world!
By Jonathan Mora
CONTACT: Jonathan Mora – Costa Rica Rafting Team - Tucanes Photos - (506) 8509-9145
