The Sports Palace has hosted the Riojano 2021 Sports Gala this Thursday. Two years later, a pandemic in between, the community has been able to pay tribute to the best athletes of La Rioja in 2019 and 2020. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Pedro Uruñuela, gave the opening speech of the gala. Uruñuela wanted to remember the “unstoppable reality” of women in sport and also stressed the recent opening of the new athletics track in Adarraga and the importance of the future track in Calahorra for the entire Rioja Baja. “The athletes of our community deserved to get together to celebrate,” he mentioned. After him, Pedro Olalde, president of the Riojan sports press association, also wanted to kick off the celebrations.
First, several school-age athletes in the years 2019 and 2020 have received their recognition with a special mention. Disciplines as varied as karate and judo, to boxing, rhythmic gymnastics and ball, have had their place. There has also been mention of senior athletes such as Sheyla Gutiérrez (cycling), Eduardo Cadarso (handball) and Luis de la Fuente (soccer), for example. The surprise recognition of the night has been taken by José Ignacio ‘Barru’, coach of the boxer Gazi Jalidov and the Olympic Bronze medalist in Rio 2016, Carlos Coloma.
The main and well-known winners have been the following in 2019: Best Female Athlete: Paula Grande (Olympic Shooting), Best Male Athlete: Gazi Jalidov (Boxing), Best Female Promise: Patricia Urquía (Athletics), Best Male Promise : José Rafael Ibáñez (Karate), Best Veteran: Marcelina Hernáiz (Athletics), Best Sports Entity: Club Maratón Rioja (Athletics), Mention of Sports Merit: Pedro Javier Martínez (CD Berceo manager) and Sportsmanship Award: Danone School.
In 2020 the winners have been: Best Female Athlete: Elba Parmo (Athletics), Best Male Athlete: Juan Carlos Sánchez de la Nieta (Olympic Shooting), Best Female Promise: Patricia Urquía (Athletics), Best Male Promise: Marcos Moreno (Athletics), Best Veteran: Miguel Ferrer (Athletics), Best Sports Entity: UD Logroñés (Soccer) and Ángel Sancho Award for Sports Gesture: Laura García (UDL physiotherapist). This last award has been one of the most emotional of the night since Ángel Sancho, a person closely linked to Rioja sport, died of COVID. His children, David and Laura, have presented the renamed Ángel Sancho Award for Sporting Gesture to UD Logroñés physiotherapist Laura García, who was able to revive a seasick player and kept him alive until the ambulance arrived.. Although not all the winners have been able to attend the event, the smiles and emotion have been two of the great protagonists of a gala that ended with the hHomage to all the athletes from La Rioja who played the Tokyo Olympics last summer. The president of the Government of La Rioja, Concha Andreu, has put the finishing touch to the celebration by emphasizing the vital importance of sport.
Photo source: Government of La Rioja
