The Mallorcan canoeists Joan Toni Moreno and Marcus Cooper Walz have won bronze medals today in the C2 500 and K4 500 events, respectively. This achievement represents a historic milestone for the sport on the island.
The pollencí Joan Toni Moreno, from the Reial Club Nàutic Port de Pollença, and his teammate Diego Domínguez, who also trains at the RCNPP under the guidance of Kiko Martín, had to make an incredible comeback to claim the third spot on the podium, behind the Chinese pair Liu Hao and Ji Bowen (gold) and the Italians Grabriele Casadei and Carlo Tacchini (silver). The race was very close, and, in fact, the Spanish pair was in fourth position halfway through the race. This situation forced them to give their all in the final 100 meters to ultimately surpass the Russian duo by just 9 hundredths of a second.
Diego Domínguez, and Joan Toni Moreno show their bronze medals in C2 500 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: RFEP.
Joan Toni Moreno thus becomes the second pollencí in history to win an Olympic medal, following the bronze won by Sete Benavides in London ’12.
Third olympic medal for Marcus Cooper
Meanwhile, Mallorcan Marcus Cooper has become one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Spanish Olympism. Cooper adds this bronze to the gold he won in K1 1000 in Rio ’16 and the silver in K4 500 from Tokyo ’20. This time, he has claimed the bronze in K4 500 alongside his teammates Saúl Craviotto, Carlos Arévalo, and Rodrigo Germade.
Rodrigo Germade, Marcus Cooper, Carlos Arévalo, and Saúl Craviotto display their bronze medals won in the K4 500 event. Photo: RFEP.
The Spanish quartet started their race strongly, even taking the lead at the 250-meter mark. However, the teams from Germany (gold) and Australia (silver) increased their performance in the second half of the race, surpassing the Spaniards at the finish line. Cooper and his teammates finished just 25 hundredths behind the Australians, securing an outstanding third place.
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