Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 07:13
| Updated 12:53 p.m.
Jokin Altuna does not look to the past. Since seven thirty in the afternoon on Sunday he has been chewing on the defeat against Unai Laso, which took him out of what, in the event of victory, would have meant his ninth consecutive final in the Cuatro y Medio Championship and the option of winning the fifth txapela in the distance. He will soon start looking at Couples, his next goal. High competition leaves little room for regrets.
Even if the Amezketarra refuses to look back, it is advisable to turn his head from time to time to check what is behind him. Altuna III’s eight finals in a row at Cuatro y Medio means a record that will endure over time. There is no sign of anyone capable of linking so many within the current generation, given mainly their age. Peio Etxeberria, who is closest, will add two on Sunday the 24th and is 26 years old. Unai Laso starts the series with 27.
That manistas of the stature and tradition of Olaizola II, Juan Martínez de Irujo and Patxi Eugi did not exceed four in a row helps to understand the difficulty of such a streak. Abel Barriola, for example, played in five finals in seven editions between 2001 and 2007. He fell in the quarterfinals in 2003 and did not even participate in 2005. In addition to translating the game and physical form into results, injuries and health need to be respected. accompany, especially on key dates.
The competition system in force, which forces the finalists to start the next edition in the quarterfinal group, assumes a journey of at least four games to repeat presence in the txapela match. Postponements have also disappeared, an element to take into account.
In total numbers, Jokin Altuna adds to his 28 years eight finals in the cage, the same as Olaizola II, Eugi and Martínez de Irujo throughout their long and successful careers. The native of Amezket still has a few seasons ahead of him.
The history of Manomanista, longer than that of Cuatro y Medio, is rich in streaks. During several periods, automatic qualification for the final of the next edition or in some cases starting the following year in the semifinals under the ladder formula favored the champions. Nowadays, as happens in the cage, the defender of the txapela of the premier competition must enter the fray in the quarterfinal group thanks to the seeded status.
Julián Retegi chained fourteen Manomanista finals between 1980 and 1993, a figure that is unthinkable today, reflecting absolute primacy in the discipline. He won eleven txapelas. Hilario Azkarate played nine one after the other from 1960 to 1968 and Juan Ignacio Retegi, the I of the Eratsun dynasty, reached eight between 1969 and 1976, although he gave up the last one due to a bad hand. The final of that edition was not played and the txapela went to Lajos.
Atano III married five in a row since the establishment of Manomanista as such in 1940 instead of the challenges in which the Azkoitiarra champion put the title at stake, like those who preceded him. Rubén Beloki was also planted in five from 1998 to 2002, while Gallastegi and Eugi stayed in four, the Eibartarra between 1950 and 1953 – he did not participate in the last one due to economic disagreements – and that of Aoiz from 1998 to 2001.
Both Juan Martínez de Irujo and Aimar Olaizola did not go beyond three in a row. They even met in the semifinals or leagues on several occasions. Altuna III has been present in five of the last seven editions.
Regarding the Couples Championship, Antxon Maiz leads the table with six finals in a row since 1978, when the companies recovered the competition, to 1984. Zabaleta has been present in five of the most recent seven.
