Ander Mirambell, during his last descent at the Beijing Games. /
The Spanish skeleton pilot signed his best descent in Beijing this Friday, but was left out of the ‘top 20’ and repeated the position of 2010 and 2014
“Reaching the ‘top 20’ would be a historic feat. It is unlikely, because the output is what we have. I’m blown away as it’s been a really tough week. I would have to make a very good descent, ”recognized Ander Mirambell before facing the third round of the skeleton test this Friday and closing his fourth Olympic Games in twenty-fourth position, four places from the final. The flag bearer of the Spanish team at the Beijing Games together with Queralt Castellet made his best descent in this Olympic event, with a time of 1:02.34, but it was not enough to access the final heat.
“I am proud of the support I have received from Spain. This is much more than a race. The fact that the skeleton is followed in our country and people are watching the Games is the true success, it is the best victory that I have taken from here”, proclaimed the Catalan pilot who will turn 39 next Thursday. «The assessment of Beijing 2022 is quite positive. Those of us who have been left out of the ‘top 20’ are the ones who could not come to the October tests and with only twelve descents it was very difficult, “lamented Mirambell. He signed on Thursday “a good first set” that then placed him twenty-third and in the second (twenty-fifth) he risked, “because it was the way to try to reach the ‘top 20’ and it did not go well”, since he hit 125km/h. “I am happy, in every way,” he commented this Friday.
Given that the ticket for the final was practically impossible after the first two heats, in the farewell of his fourth Games he had the objective of “making the best descent of the week” and leaving “with a smile”, which Mirambell finally achieved. “It’s a pride they represented everyone. Thanks for the support », he launched into the camera, with his hand on his heart, after his last tour, in which his rivals did not fail. Mirambell thus repeated the position achieved in the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Games. In the previous ones, those of Pyeongchang 2018, he obtained his best Olympic classification, with twenty-third place.
For his part, the cross-country skier Imanol Rojo finished far from the best in the 15-kilometre classic style, but his 39th place hides a historic result: it represents the best Spanish classification in the specialty. The Gipuzkoan surpassed the record set by Josep Giró, who finished in 45th position at the Sarajevo Olympic Games held in 1984.
