Blanca Manchón is an athlete with an enviable career, since since she was 7 years old she has been immersed in sports aquatics, their specialty being windsurf. A simple woman who enjoys what she does, even though travel and competitions keep her quite far from home. At the age of 17 he already participated in some Olympic Games and now he dreams of a gold in London. I'm sure he'll get it.
Yumping.- You come from a family of athletes, since both your parents and your brother share a love for boards. What is it like to grow up in an environment like that?
Blanca Manchón.- I have become accustomed to living in this type of environment since I was little, surrounded by athletic people and moving around the world. For me it has been a great education both professionally and personally.
Y.- And only since I was seven years old in the water, first in Optimist and then as a windsurfer...
B.M.-Yes, I spent a week on school boats and I got bored. My parents then realized that it was time to give me the windsurf board.
Y.- You broke the record by becoming the first minor to participate in the Olympic Games in sailing. What did that step mean in your career?
B.M.- I remember it like a dream: in Athens at the age of 17, surrounded by the best athletes in the world. I remember it as an adventure and without pressure. I think that's what made me get the diploma. For me it was a game.
Y.- From then on you have not stopped collecting prizes. Tell us, which one has cost you the most to get?
B.M.- In 2005 I was named best Spanish promise, an award that I collected, among others, along with Fernando Alonso. For me it was a real source of pride. That year I had won the absolute World Cup while I was still a youth, that is, I won two World Cups at the same time. It was a great challenge.
Y.- And the one you remember most fondly?
B.M.- When I qualified for the Athens Olympic Games.
Y.- You have just won the fifth round of the RX:S World Cup in Holland, although the weather forecasts were not favorable at all. Has it worked for you difficult?
B.M.- It has been a regatta in which all the wind conditions have occurred. I consider myself a complete sailor, I don't stand out in any condition, but I defend myself with everything. I think that has helped me win. There was a lot of level and concentration in each round was essential.
Y.- In case any of the readers do not know what this category is, could you briefly tell them what RX:S is?
B.M.- It is the name they have given to the model of windsurfing board and sail with which they participate in the Olympic Games. All of us girls go with the same material. The competitions usually last six days, in which we compete in two races each. The points of your results are added and in the end the person with the fewest points wins.
And.- You are in direct competition with the British Bryony Shaw, since you only take one point... With two tests remaining, do you find it difficult to stay in that position?
B.M.- If the next competitions are regular, I think I can win. I'm going for it and I think that Bryony is an excellent sailor and that we have to keep a close eye on her, since she can give a lot of herself.
Y.- But the most important event is the World Cup in Denmark, since the ADO scholarship is at stake to be able to prepare for the Olympic Games. That support is important, right?
B.M.- Very much. Without these scholarships it would be impossible to travel and train. Thanks to this I can live doing what I like the most, but, yes, you have to be the best for it to be profitable. Unfortunately we are not football.
Y.- I suppose that although you were already in Athens when you were 17, London is one of your main goals...
B.M.- It is my goal and my great dream. Now that I'm older I see things differently and getting an Olympic medal is the greatest thing that can happen to an athlete. I'm going to fight to the death for a place to go, and even more so for that medal.
And.- What is a day-to-day journey like in Blanca's life?
B.M.- I wake up to music and go to the gym in the morning to get strong. Then I have a delicious meal and in the afternoon I go to the water for a few hours to train and practice windsurfing. When I get home, have dinner, a movie, and go to sleep!
Y.- There are more and more women who, like you, are dedicated to sports in which they have generally predominated men. Was it difficult to get started on this issue?
B.M.- Not at all. We have always fit together very well. What's more, I would like to be able to compete with the boys to try to beat them!
Y.- You are from championship to championship traveling around the world. How do you handle being away from home for so long?
B.M.- You end up getting used to it. There are years when you don't take the clothes out of the suitcase, but when you get home it is a luxury, and even more so when your mom is there, who has prepared your favorite food for you...
Y.- Your greatest wish?
B.M.-An Olympic gold medal.
