Training hard in the docks of Puerto Madero
Dock 3 in the Puerto Madero neighbourhood has undergone a transformation in order to host the rowing and canoe competitions at Buenos Aires 2018.
The Puerto Madero waterfront is one of the most popular Buenos Aires neighbourhoods among tourists. But since Wednesday, foreign visitors enjoying their vacations by the water were joined by athletes from all over the world as the neighbourhood transformed into a top-notch training centre. Dock 3 will be the stage for two competitions at Buenos Aires 2018: rowing races, from October 7 to 10, and canoe races, from October 12 to 16.
The training course, which passes under the Woman’s Bridge in Puerto Madero and is divided into two lanes, was the practice spot for Argentine canoeists Valentín Rossi, Rebeca D’Estéfano and Joaquín Ezequiel Lukac, who took advantage of the sunny day and trained for two back-to-back shifts, without returning to the Youth Olympic Village in between.
“I’ve been in Argentina before, but I had never visited Puerto Madero. It’s a nice place for us to compete in. I’m going to have to adapt to the course, because in my country I practise at a lake,” said Guatemalan rower Marisleysis Cedeño Cuellar after testing out the waters.
Standing on Dock 3, Romanian rower Florin Arteni-Fintinariu was hard to miss given his 2.07m height. However, his tallness is not the only outstanding thing about him: he won the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships in double sculls competing with Danciu Alexandru-Laurentiu in Racice, Czech Republic. And now he’s aiming for the gold medal at Buenos Aires 2018.
Lukac, who will debut in the C1 sprint event on October 12, analysed the course where he’ll compete and left a valuable tip for other competitors: “The waters at Puerto Madero are heavier. The boats float more and you have to paddle harder than normal.”
Guan Changheng, a Chinese representative in K1, picked up his kayak and carried it on his shoulders to go down to the water, but he could not find on the map which one of the lanes he should use. Since he does not speak English, someone signaled to him which way to go and the problem was solved - almost as if he were a regular tourist in Puerto Madero.