We speak with Pilar Lamadrid when she savors the success obtained in the waters of Lanzarote in the first international event of the iQFoil class, in which the windsurfer from the CN Puerto Sherry, a member of the Spanish Pre-Olympic Team, prevailed with great solvency over the best rivals of the new Olympic discipline. Lamadrid, 25 years old and a native of Seville, confesses to us that she is somewhat surprised by the superiority shown in Canarian waters, but she is sure that it is the fruit of the work of the last two years. And it is that Pilar is clear about her objective and she works tirelessly on it, not in vain, the effort and sacrifice are already part of her life and also that of her family, in which everyone rows towards the same side.
The harvest of the Andalusian in the new Olympic class are the iQFoil national championships in the years 2020 and 2021, a fourth place achieved in the World Championship last August in Silvaplana (Switzerland) and the fifth in the European Championship in October in waters of Marseille, results that make it worthy of being in the world top 10.
We start with his beginnings in sailing. Why windsurfing?
I started like all children in the Optimist class, where I was from 6-7 years old, but I admit that it is a class that increasingly bored me, I only liked sailing on very windy days and that I could capsize and right the boat. And then, when I was 9 years old, my father gave me the first 2m wing that came to our sailing school in Islantilla to try out in the summer. It was a matter of 2 years, that my father saw that he was going to stop sailing and gave me the option of competing on a board, because apart from many other kinds of boat he has always been a windsurfing sailor. And from there I fell in love with my sport, not only because of haggling but because of how much fun it is to sail on a windsurf board where you yourself are part of the board and the sail… it is an incredible feeling of union with nature .
Have you always had the Games as a goal?
Since I met myself in the world of windsurfing, I used to support great references very close: Blanca Manchón and Marina Alabau. Thanks to them I discovered not only that it was an Olympic Games, but that being from Seville it is possible to be one of the greatest windsurfers in the world and be known in such a minority but Olympic sport. So they were my feminine incentive to have a dream, although today my vision has changed a bit, let me explain. I am clear that the big goal is those Olympic Games, but in this last year she proposed me to be the greatest version of myself to be one of the greatest sailors in the world. I know that if I do this, the Olympics go almost hand in hand, and so I know that I have done everything in my power to get the best of me.
What is it about the new iQFoil class that has managed to attract so many windsurfers so fast? Do you think it has to do with the search for the show that makes it similar to other mainstream sports in order to achieve greater diffusion among the general public, or is it simply a matter of evolution?
Foil is addictive. If that is clear that at the beginning there was a bit of hiding and many doubts as to whether we were really prepared for this evolutionary step that we saw as so great. But after a year on this table I have to say that I would not return to the RS: X even if they paid me. It is obvious that it is not only the evolution of the sport, it is also much more visual and striking, because with nothing from venuto we can fly at 20 knots and all the effort we make paddling on the board is much more reflected than on boards conventional.
Are you surprised by your current position within the class nationally and internationally? How do you see yourself compared to your most direct rivals? And among them, tell me which ones are yet to be achieved
The truth is that since she started competing in this class, everything has been surprises, the first and most important being the 2020 Spanish Championship where for the first time I was ahead of the podium with Marina Alabau and Blanca Manchón in the fleet. Afterwards, the results of the past 2021 have been brutal, I did not imagine so high in the fleet in such a short time, so we continue working to continue climbing in that top5. Yes, it is true that now in 2022 sailors who were in the Games and who did not compete in 2021 will reappear, such as the Dutch Lilian De Geus, so we will have to keep an eye on them. For the general, the best girls are in Israel, France, England and Poland, they are tough and feisty sailors who will give a lot of play and we will be there to play. Among the rivals to catch up with is of course the current unbeatable World and European champion Hélène Noesmoen, whom we hope to be able to surprise this year...
What do you think about sharing a campaign with Blanca Manchón? Has his decision to continue surprised you? Do you see her as a rival?
This is the second campaign that I share with her, but this time with the roles a little changed, so we know each other, we know how to live together and we get along very well. I was not very surprised by his decision, because in the end after campaigning for 5 years... what was 3 more? With the lure of a new class, new people, and a foil that's so much more fun than the RS:X. Right now she is in the transition period, learning to control the board with all the conditions to come, but she is still an experienced sailor and that will help her once she passes this stage. So in a few months it will be seen!
Let's talk about your coach, tell me two pros and two cons (if any) of being your father
The pros, who understand me perfectly because we have very similar ways of looking at life and sports and whose dedication and involvement has always been and will be 100%. The cons, that when I was younger there were a lot of fights because it's hard not to see your father when you're with your coach in the water and they discuss things with him. That's all!
Your family, like the Manchóns, decided to change their residence from Seville to the Port to facilitate your brother's sports career and yours. How do you value it now after these years? Do you think it has been key in your preparation?
Moving from Seville to El Puerto has been the best decision of our lives, and I speak for my whole family! Not only because of the tranquility that it has given us and the quality of life by being closer to nature and not in a noisy city, but also because of being able to sail every day of the week. Without this step, neither of us would be here right now, because sailing only on weekends does not really allow you to dedicate yourself and advance in this sport. So from here I give a thousand times thanks to El Puerto de Santa María for welcoming us with such open arms!!
Tell me what a normal day is like in your sports preparation
A normal day starts with a good breakfast and a 2-hour gym session. After returning home, we get our strength back, we take the opportunity to see and analyze the objectives of the water day and we hit the water for about 2 hours as well. But the day does not end here, on the way back from the water we analyze the videos that we have recorded of the water and we study what we can work on for the next day. Maybe there is a little time left to rest, if there are waves then we surf or if not a little while to read a book or just relax. Dinner in bed to repeat the next day!
Imagine that now you are one hundred percent dedicated to preparing yourself, but how long do you see yourself in this?
Until my body, my mind and my pocket can take it. I am clear about my goal, which is to be at the top of the world, when I see that it is unsustainable or that I have already given everything I had to give and it begins to subtract from me instead of adding... then I will begin another stage of my life.
With what support accounts apart from public aid? Do you have that topic covered or are you hunting for sponsorship? And in this case, and set to dream, what brand would you like to work with?
Thank God I have had the help of Ellas Son de Aqui – Livinda and Puerto Sherry for a couple of years, but it is true that I am at a minimum… This sport, with just the material, makes the annual cost very high, so that I am in search and captured sponsors. Set to dream... well, I keep dreaming of representative brands of my sport such as neoprene brand (Billabong, RipCurl, Roxy...), sportswear (Nike, Adidas, Underarmour...), sports sportswear (Garmin, Polar, Suunto...)... But hey, if I really find a brand that shares values and that wants to accompany me on this path towards the Olympic Games, I would be more than satisfied!
Finally, imagine that you achieve it and arrive in Paris… who would you dedicate an Olympic medal to?
To my family, without a doubt: my father for putting this bug in our bodies since we were little, that dream that he himself started and could not finish; to my mother for saying yes to this madness and being our number 1 sponsor and manager; to my brother Armando for putting up with so much from a crazy family and to my “twin” brother, Fernando, for pushing me every day to be better than yesterday. Also to my work team: Jaime our physical trainer who believed in our project from minute 0 and our psychologist María, for making us a true team as well as helping us to have a strong mind. And of course to everyone who sends me messages of encouragement and support every day, which are many more than I would have ever imagined!
