Since she became Junior European Champion in 2003 until today, she has been Spanish and European champion 14 times, in addition to other titles and classifications. Since then he has not stopped training every day as if he were in a constant competition and always with the same enthusiasm as the first day, when at the age of 8 his father introduced him to this sport. He owes his hobby and all the values that he has transmitted to him, not only in this sport, but also in life.
Here we present an interview that he answered after his return from Panama so that you can get to know him a little more and if you want to emulate him, here is a list of centers where to learn kitesurfing in Spain.
Yumping.- At just turned 21, you have been proclaimed world champion on several occasions, you have been Spanish champion 3 times and you even have a Guinness Record for being the youngest champion in the world, among others. Don't you feel a little vertigo when you look back?
Gisela Pulido.- It is true that I have achieved several world titles and the occasional record, but I don't think about it every day. My father always tells me that what I have is already mine and no one is going to take it away from me. That's why I have to think about the future, about the goals I still have to achieve. You have to keep improving, progressing and trying your best every day :)
Y.- In 2003, when you were only 9 years old, you became European Junior Champion, thus obtaining your first title at the competition level. What do you remember about the first time you stood on a podium?
G.P.- The first time I stood on the podium I was 6 years old. I competed in swimming before competing in kitesurfing. It was the best feeling in the world, having managed to be among the top three. And it becomes addictive. You train for yourself and to be satisfied with your form, but the results are a fundamental part.
Measure yourself against the rest, compete and see who is the best. It is the greatest reward you can have!
Y.- According to what they say, you have inherited your father's taste for adrenaline. what have you learned from him?
G.P.-I have learned many things from my father, of course the love for all the sports that I practice now. At just 1 year old he took me to the pool, at 3 years old he took me to ride a bike without training wheels, at 5 years old he took me to snowboard and surf, at 6 years old he took me to windsurf, and finally at 8 years old he kitesurfed... But not only sports, but also the values that it has transmitted to me throughout these years. He is my reference for everything.
Y.- Despite having your unconditional support, were the beginnings hard?
G.P.- Of course all beginnings are hard. In my case I started when I was very little. My father left his life and his work in Barcelona, to move to Tarifa and be able to be professionals in this sport. It was a very risky bet and it could go wrong at any time. That's why my father was very strict and demanding with me. I understood it perfectly, but perhaps people who saw it from the outside did not so much.
I am happy that he was hard on me because it has helped me be who I am now. Perhaps the most difficult thing for me was moving away from my mother, although she now lives in Tarifa and I can see her much more often.
Y.- Since your first title and until now, not a single year has passed without you being proclaimed champion or being among the top 3. Is the competition sector very hard?
G.P.-Of course the competition is tough.When I was little I wasn't really aware of what it involved, you're a girl and you don't realize it. But as you get older, you get sponsors, the press talks about you, well you start to feel the nerves.
The technical level of women is also growing, it is more difficult to be among the best and you have to remain motivated just like the first day, with the same desire to train... But as I said before, the reward is very great. Being able to dedicate myself to what I like most, my passion. Or when you come out of the water and they say you've won... That alone makes it all worth it!
And.- How have you been able to combine a world of training and competitions with studies?
G.P.- I did high school in person at an institute in Tarifa. I combined it with the help of my classmates and teachers who made it easier for me. But I had to do high school remotely because I traveled too much. Now I am studying marketing at a university in Madrid, Utad, and the truth is it is a bit complicated with so many training and trips, but if you are disciplined you can manage to carry everything forward. Plus if you like what you study it's even easier :)
Y.- Since you were very little and given the absence of this type of competitions, you have had to travel too much around the world. Have you ever missed having "a normal life"?
G.P.- I have never missed that, on the contrary, I am happy and grateful to have the life I have. Having the opportunity to travel around the world, be in contact with nature, see incredible places, new people, make friends, compete in what I like most... What more could I ask for...
And.- What does kitesurfing mean to you?
G.P.- He is everything. He is the only thing I think about when I get up in the morning! I look out the window at home to see if there is wind and if I will be able to go to train... What makes me happy...
Y.- You have practiced kiteboarding and competed in many places: Kenya, Australia, Morocco, New Celedonia, Chile and, among others and of course, Tarifa, the mecca of Kitesurfing. What has been the most magical destination for you?
G.P.- My favorite place to kitesurf is the north of Brazil. The conditions that exist are the best in the world. It has huge lagoons of flat water, constant wind, heat, sun... I also like the culture there, what the people are like, how they live, the food... I am very comfortable in that country.
And.- What led you to make the decision to switch to freestyle?
G.P.-Freestyle consists of doing maneuvers, and since I was little it was what I liked the most and what I found the most fun. Also for the creativity and freedom of being able to do what you want and how you want. It's amazing!
Y.- In 2014, the Polish Karolina Winkowska took the podium after the judges annulled her victory (with the corresponding controversy that this aroused). How do you deal with those types of setbacks that do not depend on yourself?
G.P.- At the moment it happens, it is very hard, because as you say, it does not depend on oneself. But for this reason, you can't do anything either. You have to move on, and you can't stay thinking about what happened all the time.
I did my job, I trained and prepared like never before, I competed very well and gave everything in the water.
And.- What is Gisela Pulido's day to day like?
if you are disciplined you can manage to carry everything forward. Plus if you like what you study it's even easier :)
Y.- Since you were very little and given the absence of this type of competitions, you have had to travel too much around the world. Have you ever missed having "a normal life"?
G.P.- I have never missed that, on the contrary, I am happy and grateful to have the life I have. Having the opportunity to travel around the world, be in contact with nature, see incredible places, new people, make friends, compete in what I like most... What more could I ask for...
And.- What does kitesurfing mean to you?
G.P.- He is everything. He is the only thing I think about when I get up in the morning! I look out the window at home to see if there is wind and if I will be able to go to train... What makes me happy...
Y.- You have practiced kiteboarding and competed in many places: Kenya, Australia, Morocco, New Celedonia, Chile and, among others and of course, Tarifa, the mecca of Kitesurfing. What has been the most magical destination for you?
G.P.- My favorite place to kitesurf is the north of Brazil. The conditions that exist are the best in the world. It has huge lagoons of flat water, constant wind, heat, sun... I also like the culture there, what the people are like, how they live, the food... I am very comfortable in that country.
And.- What led you to make the decision to switch to freestyle?
G.P.-Freestyle consists of doing maneuvers, and since I was little it was what I liked the most and what I found the most fun. Also for the creativity and freedom of being able to do what you want and how you want. It's amazing!
Y.- In 2014, the Polish Karolina Winkowska took the podium after the judges annulled her victory (with the corresponding controversy that this aroused). How do you deal with those types of setbacks that do not depend on yourself?
G.P.- At the moment it happens, it is very hard, because as you say, it does not depend on oneself. But for this reason, you can't do anything either. You have to move on, and you can't stay thinking about what happened all the time.
I did my job, I trained and prepared like never before, I competed very well and gave everything in the water.
And.- What is Gisela Pulido's day to day like?
