Xammar and Rodríguez, bronze in candlelight: the medal that Dentistry missed

Nico Rodríguez

had just graduated in Dentistry in Austria and was planning to spend several years there saving money to return to Vigo and set up his own clinic when he received a call.

"I thought, What about this one?"

This was

, who offered him a completely different life project: he wanted him to be his new crew member in 470 and for them to reach the Tokyo Games together.

Rodríguez did not hesitate.

Although their characters are contrary, because Rodríguez is very calm and Xammar is a whirlwind, he knew that as a couple they could achieve everything and that's how it was, and that's how it is.

Since they joined, back in 2016, they have not left the podium and, after successes in the last three World Cups and in the last three Europeans, this Wednesday the most brilliant medal arrived: the Olympic bronze, the climax of their journey.

Before the regatta, both of them walked through Enoshima with their heads down, living with the pressure.

The day before, in a situation very similar to theirs, the two Spanish 49ers had lost the medal in the 'medal race', the decisive regatta, the one that scored twice, and the precedents weighed on them.

Tension on the south coast of Japan was high.

"We slept well, we are fine", reassured Xammar, normally chatty like few others, this time before getting on the boat he just wanted silence.

They started third, with five points out of two pairs - New Zealanders Paul

and

and British

and

- and calming down was a must.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

See links of interest

• Last News

• Translator

• Tokyo Results

• 2021 business calendar

• Home THE WORLD TODAY

• Master investigative journalism

• Japan - Spain, live