Susana Rodríguez, Paratriathlon World Champion, In New Zealand I had the best race of my life
Susana Rodríguez (Vigo, 1988) is a newcomer to paratriathlon but that has not prevented her from being crowned with the Triathlon gold medal and the Acuatlon bronze medal in the World Series that took place in October in Auckland, in New Zealand, within the TRI 6 category for athletes with visual disabilities. After a well-deserved vacation in this distant country, yesterday he returned to Vigo and was greeted at the airport with banners and flags by family and friends.
Are you satisfied with the reception?
A lot, the truth is that I did not expect it. Those signs of affection are always appreciated.
He arrived in New Zealand "to try a new experience" and returns with two medals under his arm ... satisfied?
It was a great experience. I had never been to a World Cup final and I had not trained enough with Mayalen (Noriega, her guide) but we tried Acuatlon to see how the circuit was and we won the bronze medal. That gave us extra motivation because it was when we began to believe in our options and, although I did not have them all with me, Mayalen said yes, that we could catch something.
Well, he was right.
That Monday, in Auckland, I got the best race of my life, I can not say it in any other way.
But the best career of his life would not come by chance, right?
I started training in October and I spent a year training every day. In June I learned that I was going to New Zealand and when the plane tickets arrived from the Federation it was an extra motivation. The mentality changes completely because you see it closer. The truth is that yes, I had the best race of my life but behind it there is a work of many hours. I do not know how many kilometers I did swimming, running and pedaling, but there were many.
Do you trust that these medals will open the door of a sponsor?
I hope so but I also study and I do not have too much time between the Medicine career and the trainings to knock on doors. Anyway, today everyone uses the crisis and, moreover, I am clear that it is from the studies of what I can live tomorrow, not sports.
As everyone would love but my goals are more immediate. In 2013 I will try to go to the World Cup and the European Championship and so, year after year, if things go well, I will think about Rio. A few years ago I was doing athletics to prepare for Beijing so I do not know what will happen to 2016.
And how did that change from athletics to triathlon happen?
I had problems with the Sports Federation for the Blind and I quit athletics. I spent two years doing nothing but at the sports technification center in Pontevedra I met two triathlete girls and thanks to them I got closer to that sport. Then, by chance, seeing on the triathlon website I saw that there was the paratriathlon modality, which I did not even know existed. And the worm of competition returned.
How is this sport compatible with a career as hard as Medicine?
I organize myself and I have no choice but to sacrifice other things such as social life. I did Physiotherapy and then I started Medicine. It is hard because it is the first time that someone with a visual impairment like mine studies Medicine and it is difficult because there are many people who do not know your situation but it is part of my way of being. People are afraid of what they do not know but while they close many doors you can open others.
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