Spain closes the European Games with Carolina Marín's gold and three more silvers

Krakow 2023 lowers the curtain with 57 medals for the Spanish delegation, at a rate of 21 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze and 36 diplomas

Italy is confirmed as a power of the 'Old Continent', thanks to its leadership by virtue of 100 metals

   MADRID, 2 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The third European Games, held in Krakow and the Malopolska region (Poland), closed this Sunday with the Spanish delegation in second place in the medal table, at a rate of 21 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze, and with the golden culmination of charge of Carolina Marín from Huelva in the women's badminton individual draw.

On the thirteenth day of activity on Polish soil, eleventh with full officialdom, Marín defeated the Danish Mia Blichfeldt 21-15 and 21-14, thanks to a 52-minute final at the Tarnów sub-venue. This gold was added to a record where the Andalusian already had her six titles in the 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022 European Championships.

In addition, the Spanish harvest of the day was rounded off with three silvers. In slalom canoeing, Miquel Travé conquered one of them in C1. He had already begun to forge his medal in the semifinals, after a drop of 98.65 seconds to be fifth, with a penalty at the fourth gate. Meanwhile, his compatriot Daniel Pérez was twenty-sixth, with 111.34.

In the final, Travé improved his time by 3.49 seconds, to stop the clock at 95.16 seconds. With this he was only 1.15 seconds from the gold, signed by the British Ryan Westley. The third step of the podium was occupied by the Czech Vaclav Chaloupka, who was separated by only 94 thousandths of a second from the Spaniard.

The two female representatives in C1 were left without the prize in the final. The first to compete was Miren Lazkano, whose two touches on gates six and seven conditioned her descent. She finished in eighteenth place, with a time of 118.10 seconds, more than eight seconds behind the German Elena Lilik, who won the series with a time of 110.04.

On the other hand, the boxer from Elda, José Quiles, was unable to win gold in the -57 kg category, after losing the final against the Cuban-Bulgarian Javier Ibáñez. The key was in the first round, as the Spaniard started by closing guard, moving to take advantage of his opponent's gaps and trying to counterattack. He materialized that strategy, but only two of the three judges gave him the round for a win.

In the next one, the Spaniard came out more offensive and paid for an error in the first moments. From there, Ibáñez gained confidence, knowing that his rival had to advance and leave gaps. In the last set, the Spaniard looked for a more powerful hand to conclude the duel on the fast track, while the Bulgarian kept working and scored with tremendous class.

In any case, the defeat against Ibáñez did not cloud Quiles' good performance in these European Games, having secured a place to attend his second Olympic Games next year. The Elda fighter showed that, with the injuries already forgotten, he can aspire to many things in Paris 2024.

The last Spanish medal in Krakow 2023 was silver, for Mohammed Hamdi in the -86 kg kickboxing category; in the final, he lost 3-0 to Pole Robert Krason. This medal became the number 57 of the Spanish team, which finished second in the medal table by color, but fourth in the ranking by totality.

Thus, the third edition of the European Games confirmed Italy as a power of the 'Old Continent'. His leadership by quality of medals, at a rate of 35 golds, 26 silvers and 39 bronzes, encrypted a harvest of 100 metals that is very difficult to pursue in the total calculation. In their wake, Germany finished the event with 20 golds, 16 silvers and 27 bronzes.

With no confirmed venue for the 2027 edition, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) settled these Games on the lips of their president, Spyros Capralos. In the next four years, the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, banned as a result of the invasion on Ukrainian soil that Russia perpetrated in February 2022, will have to be updated.

Despite everything, the motto 'We are unity' ('We are unity') prevailed in the facilities of Krakow and the sub-venues, as well as in the closing ceremony. After two and a quarter hours, and with the canoeist Miquel Travé acting as Spanish flag bearer, the cauldron at the Henryk Reyman Stadium saw the Flame of Peace go out.