Update 17/02/2025: The winners of the Sporting Achievement Awards are Ray Zapata, Carolina Bravo, Sport Club Unión Sur Yaiza and Sports Club Orientación Marítima.
The Awards Ceremony of the 7th edition of Lanzarote’s Sports Gala, “Gala del Deporte” will take place at Jameos del Agua on the 17th of March of 2025.
There are 11 awards being given plus one (double!) special nomination.
Sporting Achievement Awards
These awards will be given to the Lanzarote sportsperson or club that has stood out the most during the 2023-2024 season in their sporting performance, both at regional, national and international level, or who, belonging to collective sports, has achieved sporting success at National Team level, has been called up for Olympic Teams, etc.
Nominees:
Men’s individual sporting achievement
Dylan Donegan Dos Santos
Rayderley Miguel Zapata Santana
Alonso Pérez Fernández
Women’s individual sporting achievement
Amelie Yaiza Skiba Birkelbach
Diana López Gómez
Carolina Bravo Curbelo
Men’s collective sporting achievement
Francisco Alfredo González and Cristian Sánchez Barreto
Sport Club Unión Sur Yaiza
Handball Club Maay and Lanzarote Ciudad de Arrecife
Women’s collective sporting achievement
Sports Club Orientación Marítima
Club Barrilla Puerto del Carmen
Sports Club Isla Lanzarote Gimnos
Sporting Awards
Sports Legend Award: Aroa Merino Betancor
The Lanzarote athlete managed to stand out in two different and demanding disciplines such as triathlon and athletics. At the age of 22, she started in triathlon, participating in several editions of the Ironman in Lanzarote and even competing in two World Championships in Hawaii after the good marks obtained.
After completing 10 Ironman distance races, he ended his triathlon career and moved into athletics, where he also managed to stand out. In this new stage, she started in popular competitions until she stood out as one of the best athletes in the Canary Islands.
The marks she managed to obtain in the different events led her to achieve: several Canary Islands Championships, or some runner-up positions in Spain in marathon or 10km, among other things.
Human Values Award: Tomás Quesada Machín
The work carried out by Tomás Quesada goes back more than 40 years. After arriving in the south of Lanzarote and having competed in some wrestling clubs, he found his vocation: to train wrestlers.
In addition to the techniques necessary for a sport such as Canarian wrestling, Quesada has been able to transmit strong values such as education, effort and sacrifice to thousands of young people who have spent afternoons with him in the wrestling ring.
In this way, he has been able to train some of the best wrestlers in the discipline, and in 1999 he received the Trophy for Best Canary Island Wrestler of the Year.
Youth Academy Award: Nadamás Swimming Club
This swimming club has carried out a great work throughout the year, achieving that boys and girls of various categories can train reaching approximately 40 swimmers.
In addition, the Nadamás Club manages to compete at an excellent level both at national and regional level, obtaining among its ranks several great participations such as the National Championship in Barcelona, the National Absolute Junior in Sabadell or the National Open Water Swimming in Seville, among others.
Research Award: Guillermo González Raviña
Author of the book ‘Dongui’. Former school teacher and coach of various sports for several decades, he was in charge of compiling more than 1,000 images and numerous writings to give life to ‘Dongui’, a book of about 500 pages that talks about much of the sporting history of the island of Lanzarote.
Local Sports Award: Emilio Tavío Cabrera
He was always linked to fishing in Lanzarote. In this way, Emilio became a very important character in the port history of Arrecife.
The fisherman from Lanzarote knew better than anyone the coastline of the capital, its islets and shallows (rocky areas on the coast of Arrecife) that had to be avoided on the imposing days of low tide when it was time to fish from the Charco de San Ginés. He was also a strong promoter of the traditions of the island.
Sports Promotion Award: IES Yaiza Triathlon
After 25 years of holding this event, the triathlon of the secondary school of the southern municipality has become one of the major events of school sport in the Canary Islands.
The last edition of the sporting event, which was attended by more than 900 triathletes, as well as students from different schools on the island of Lanzarote, was also attended by several students from schools in Fuerteventura and Tenerife.
The event consisted of an 800-metre open sea swim, a 1,200-metre link race and finally a 3.5-kilometre bike circuit, covering all the corners of the town of Yaiza.
Best Sporting Event Award: Spanish U-23 Badminton Championship
Last November Lanzarote hosted this important national sporting event that brought together the best athletes in this sport. A tournament organised by the Spanish Badminton Federation and the Auria Badminton Club.
Special Mention Award(s): José Antonio Valido Ramírez and Natalia García González
In the category of special mention, the jury of the VII Sports Gala has decided to award this distinction to José Antonio , delegate of the Interinsular Football Federation of Las Palmas in Lanzarote in the last decades; and to Natalia , referent and youth academy of CD Magec Tías, recently retired.
Our sincere congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
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