Mallorcans at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Around twenty athletes from Mallorca have the chance to see their dream come true of participating in the Paris 2024 Games.

It was 1948 when the pentathletes José Luis Riera and Alberto Moreiras, the shooter Cristóbal Tauler, and the boxer ‘Jim’ Oliver distinguished themselves in the capital of England as the first Mallorcans to make their debut in the Olympic Games, going down in the annals of local history as ‘The London Four’. This summer, 76 years after that feat, some twenty athletes from the island could emulate those legendary pioneers by competing from the 26th of July to the 11th of August in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, the most important event in the international sporting calendar, hosted for the third time by the French capital. If the forecasts are fulfilled, the record of participation set with 14 representatives in Tokyo’20 will be surpassed, which would be a great success for Mallorcan sport.

UPDATE: As of 10/07 there are already 18 Mallorcan athletes (plus 2 from Menorca and 1 from Eivissa) who have already secured their place in Paris’24, far surpassing the number set at the last Olympic Games in the Japanese capital. Island sport is, without a doubt, in luck and on top of its game.

Canoeist Marcus Cooper, representing Spain. Photo: M. C.

Leading the island’s delegation will be canoeist Marcus Cooper (Oxford, England, 1994), a double Olympic medallist after winning gold in the K1-1000 at Rio de Janeiro ’16 and silver in the K4-500 at Tokyo ’20. Despite facing his third Games, Cooper affirms that the excitement of participating remains intact and even greater because there is no other competition like it. For this accomplished athlete, born in the UK but raised in Mallorca, the shorter Olympic cycle due to the pandemic delaying the Tokyo Games to 2021 has been “positive,” jokingly remarking they had to wait less for the world’s biggest sporting event.

Flag bearer

Barring a major surprise, he is expected to lead the Spanish delegation as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony, a responsibility he considers “unbeatable.” Cooper assures, “The flag would be in very good hands because I have always represented these colors with pride and to the best of my ability.” (NOTE: Marcus Cooper has already been confirmed as the Spanish flag bearer).

Looking ahead to Paris, Cooper has very specific aspirations. “Although it’s hard to understand, I’d be lying if I said I was hoping for a medal. My goal is to get to the start line and feel like I’m at my best. If I’ve given my all at the finish line, it doesn’t matter whether I end up being first or last,” he admits. Everything points to, “and it seems that this is going to be the case unless there is force majeure,” the Mallorcan canoeist clarifies, that he will participate in two events, the K4-500 and the K2-500, because “the schedules allow me to do so and I always try to improve myself. Personal satisfaction is what drives me.”

Baltasar will compete in Paris at just 19 years old. Photo: N. B.

One of the youngest members of the Mallorcan expedition is Nacho Baltasar (Palma, 2004), under-23 silver medallist at the World Championships held in Lanzarote in the spectacular iQFOiL discipline, where windsurfers appear to fly one meter above the water. His presence in Paris is “a unique opportunity and a dream come true,” although he humbly admits that when he started this Olympic cycle, “I hardly knew the importance of the Games. Just two years ago, I was competing as a junior and I wasn’t even on the pre-Olympic team. Everything has gone very fast; it’s been a flash in the pan.” Along the way, he has gained 22 kilos and undergone a “top-level” training regime to cope with the physical demands of his specialty, which, like him, is making its Olympic debut.

Ambition

The windsurfer from Palma is ambitious. “I’m not ruling anything out. I’m going for everything and I’d love to come back with a medal, but my main goal is to enjoy the experience. I’m very young and I have a long career ahead of me; I don’t want to compete with extra pressure.” In fact, for Baltasar, the mental preparation has been harder than the physical because there is the possibility of “burning out,” especially for a 19-year-old who has had to “put aside things that a guy my age usually does, but it’s worth it. When I come back from Paris, I’ll regain a bit of my old life,” he jokes.

As a veteran of a thousand battles, Cooper agrees that the mental aspect is key in the Games because “in our world, everything happens based on what we feel and what we think. You have to have your head in the right place to make the necessary sacrifices to give everything for the objective we have.” That is why he advises Baltasar and the rest of the newcomers “not to be intimidated by the greatness of the Olympic Games, to not be afraid of winning.”

List of Mallorcan athletes qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Felanitx’s footballer Mariona Caldentey is one of the pillars of the women’s national football team. Photo: RFEF.

Updated on 15/07/2024.

Adrián Abadía (Palma, 2002). Diving. 3m synchronized springboard.
Álex Abrines (Palma, 1993). Basketball.
Nacho Baltasar (Palma, 2004). Sailing. iQFOiL.
Paula Barceló (Palma, 1994). Sailing. 49er FX.
Mariona Caldentey (Felanitx, 1996). Football.
Juana Camilión (Palma, 1999). 3×3 Basketball.
Cata Coll (Marratxí, 2001). Football.
Marcus Cooper (Oxford, 1994). Canoeing. K4-500, K2-500.
Sergio de Celis (Palma, 2000). Swimming. 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley.
Rudy Fernández* (Palma, 1985). Basketball.
Mavi García (Marratxí, 1984). Road Cycling. Road race.
Hugo González (Palma, 1999). Swimming. 200m individual medley, 200m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 4×100 freestyle.
Patri Guijarro (Palma, 1998). Football.
Joan Toni Moreno (Pollença, 2000). Canoeing. C2-500.
Nicolau Mir (Palma, 2000). Artistic Gymnastics. Team and individual.
Jaume Munar (Santanyí, 1997). Tennis. Singles.
Rafael Nadal (Manacor, 1986). Tennis. Singles and doubles.
Alba Torrens (Binissalem, 1989). Basketball.