Gonzalo Melero | Sportscene - Walter Bouzán and Álvaro F. Fiuza won the K2 category of the Sella Descent for the fourth consecutive time in the year when they announced their retirement. Along with Manuel Busto winning the K1 for the first time, it seems that future generations will have to wait for some time to succeed the great names of this river. Great veterans like Rafael Carril, Julio Martínez and Emilio Merchán were also on the podium in both disciplines (and no sign of wanting to get off of it).

The Opening Ceremony, following protocol, began with a speech by Angela Pumariega, sailing Olympic Champion in London 2012, and then the always exciting song, Asturias Patria Querida, sung by the entire audience. In the first race, Walter and Fiuza made a pristine start taking an excellent position at the front, next to Kiko Vega and Luis Amado Pérez's boat. However, it soon became clear that Walter and Fiuza didn't want to miss the opportunity they had after having got a few precious metres ahead of other favourites like Merchán/Alonso, Martínez/Becerro or Llamedo/Ramalho, who were forced to comeback in the first kilometres after a capsize at the start.

Other powerful crews, like South Africans Birkett and Schoeman or Spaniards Jorge Alonso and David R. Dorado, were in a second group which Llamedo and Ramalho finally joined, but never seemed to have any chance of reaching the three K2s that were gradually positioning themselves ahead, making this year's Sella a time trial, with gaps always around 20 seconds between them. Further back, the battle of the K1 was thrilling, as it often happens in this discipline. The favourites were not only fighting amongst themselves but also with last minute guests who slipped into the top positions after some good starts. The South African Mike Arthur, member of the 200m national team, had an awesome start, as could be expected from someone so explosive, and passed Arriondas Hostel (first left turn in the river) with Borja Estomba among the top 25 kayaks. Different encounters were relegating them into rearmost positions, while Manuel Busto started passing K2s in a powerful manner and went through La Remolina rapid (km. 2) in first place. Luis Martinez was following him closely after a very good start.

After them there was a whole string of paddlers who were looking for their niche in the crowd, including Rafael Carril, who is slowly making a great comeback with his particular tactic stamp. Tucked in the great melée (many comments like "but he was by my side!" among the paddlers when they knew of his final position ...), the Oviedo Kayak paddler was slowly overtaking positions with his powerful rhythm, so that approaching the rapid of La Presa, with just five kilometres to go, he was in third position commanding a bunch including Miguel Llorens, Alejandro Sánchez and Andrés Cangas. However, far from being pressured by them, in the final kilometres he hunted down Luis Martínez and gave no option for a sprint finish in which people like the recent U23 European Marathon Champion, Alejandro Sánchez, may have played his cards. With determination, Carril faced the finish line straight ahead and left all his rivals in his wash. Luis Martínez, who managed to hold onto his third position to get onto the podium next to the winner Manuel Busto, who after having managed to use the wash of a good pair of K2s along the river, won a hard-fought victory that gives him a new single crown at the Sella.

A few minutes earlier, the K2 pursuit race ended with Walter Bouzán and Álvaro F. Fiuza winning a fourth consecutive title that crowned them two of the masters (in recent years) of the race. A few seconds later the current World and European gold medalists, Emilio Merchán and Iván Alonso arrived in second position, who despite their best efforts were unable to make contact with the Oviedo Kayak paddlers. Third and completing the podium were Ribadesella José Julián Becerro and Julio Martínez who tried to get on the wash of Merchán and Alonso in some sections, but eventually had to give up after a final push from their rivals.

The first sprint of the race was in the group that fought for fourth place, with Emilio Llamedo and Portuguese José Ramalho leading ahead of Birkett/Schoeman and J. Alonso/Dorado on their wash, and that’s how they ended at the finish line.

Sadly, not a lot of women registered and unfortunately the Danish Champion Birgit Pontoppidan had to withdraw at the last minute due to a stomach bug. Victory in the K2 discipline went to Amaia Osaba and Lucia Arquero who managed to win their first Sella as a pair, and the U23 European Marathon medalist Raquel Carbajo claimed the title in K1 in a well deserved victory also earning the women's race record of 1h25'.

Read more about the history of the Sella Descent here.

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