The windsurfer Mateo Sanz (Formentera, November 6, 1993) is enjoying a few days of rest and relaxation with his family on the southern Pitiusa and is still enjoying the highs and the many emotions accumulated over the last few weeks as a result of his participation in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Pitiusa windsurfer, who brought back a well-deserved olympic title from Japan for his eighth place in the classification of the RS:X windsurfing class competition representing Switzerland, is still reminiscing about his performance in Japanese waters and what happened in his second consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games, an event after which he has decided to put an end to his Olympian participation.
The Spanish-Swiss windsurfer, happy and satisfied with his performance in the Land of the Rising Sun, although with the disappointment of not having reached his goal of fighting for the medals because of natural elements that conspired against him in the form of a typhoon, wants to open a new professional stage in his life in which he does not think about preparing for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
The Pitiusa windersurfer, on his arrival in Eivissa from Japan, after participating in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Zowy Voeten.
Looking back now that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are over and from the distance and the peace of mind that comes with being back home in Formentera, how does Mateo Sanz view his time at the Olympics?
Well, I’m happy, on the one hand, for having achieved the minimum we had set ourselves before going to Japan, which was to enter the Top-10 and in the Medal Race to fight at least for that Olympic title. But on the other hand, I’m still thinking about what happened when I go to sleep at night. I think it’s a pity that the wind was so strong in the last two days and that I couldn’t stay there at the top of the rankings.
The truth is that you really came very close to achieving the challenge of winning an Olympic medal. That in itself is something to be proud of, isn’t it?
Yes, I’m not talking about a specific colour medal, but I would have had a chance of winning one if only I’d had a bit more luck with the weather conditions for sailing.
” I’m happy, on the one hand, to have achieved the minimum we had set ourselves before going to Japan, which was to get into the Top-10 and the Medal Race”
It will serve as a consolation, at least, what is popularly said that you can’t fight against the elements.
Exactly. There’s nothing we can do there. But, well, as I came first on the first day of the competition and second the next day, well, that makes me feel happy, although with a bit of anger for not being able to compete for the medals because I arrived in very good physical shape and I think I had a good chance.
Now that you are back home and after your second Olympic Games, how do you see your future in the short and medium term?
Well, now I have a month and a half, as it were, to fulfil the contract I have with the Swiss Sailing Federation, so I have to keep sailing. Maybe I’ll go to the competition in Mallorca in October, the Princesa Sofia, but the truth is that at the moment I don’t see myself continuing at a professional level for another Olympic campaign.
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