Unicaja shows its commitment to Asturias, actively collaborating in several initiatives around the Sella. Activities deeply rooted and appreciated in the popular and sporting culture of Asturias, such as, in addition to the International Sella River Descent itself, the Sella River Adapted Descent and the Trofeo de Promoción Mini. In total, these events have exceeded 1,800 participants.
This Saturday, 9 August, the 87th International Sella River Descent was held, sponsored by Unicaja.
The K2 formed by Walter Bouzán and Alberto Llera won after completing in 1:10:02 the 20 kilometers that separate the bridges of Arriondas and Ribadesella. In second place came Adrian Boros and Tamás Erdélyi and in third place, Pedro Vázquez Llenín and Javier López.
In women's K2, Tania Álvarez and Tania Fernández won, completing the podium Amaia Osaba and Llara Tuset and Irati Osa and Arantza Toledo.
In men’s K1, the victory went to Abel García Cimentada. The second and third winners were Julian Salinas and Manuel Garaycoechea. In women's K1, Yaiza Novo won, followed by Miriam Vega Manrique and Andrea Rodríguez.
In canoes, the fastest C2 was that of Manuel Antonio Campos and Diego Romero, accompanied on the podium by Diego Miguéns and Adrián Pose and Ignacio Calvo and Jorge Vélez. And in C1, Fernando Busto won, followed by Manuel Garrido and Diego Suárez.
A total of 1,306 paddlers on board 902 boats took part in this 87th edition. For the second consecutive year, the record of participating countries was maintained, a mark that since the 86th edition stands at 25.
The International Sella River Descent has been an essential event since 1930, welcoming international athletes since 1951. In fact, every year it receives participants from a dozen countries, exceeding a thousand paddlers.
Starting in Arriondas and finishing in Ribadesella, it is considered one of the most important downriver races in the world.
Promoting inclusion and sport from childhood
Unicaja Unicaja has also collaborated with the Sella River Adapted Descent and the Trofeo Promoción Mini Sella with the aim of contributing, within the framework of its sustainability policy, to the development of the areas where it operates on and promoting inclusion and sports practice from childhood.
In this sense, the Sella River Adpated Descent, organized by the Sports Federation for People with Physical Disabilities of Asturias (FEDEMA), brought together more than 200 paddlers on 3 August. A race in which Pablo Pérez and Iván de Quevedo were proclaimed winners in class A, for the second consecutive year, and also won the u-20 category. In class B, the first to cross the finish line were Felipe Cartas and María Ascensión Portillo, while in the women's category, Laura Fernández de Arquer and Abril Fernández de Arquer were the winners. The Inserta Valores del Sella Adaptado prize also went to Felipe Cartas.
In this adapted sports event, the course has a non-competitive section between Arriondas and La Uña, in Llordón, and the competition is focused on the last five kilometers, until reaching the finish line in Ribadesella.
The so-called 'Fiesta de las piraguas' also has its children's version with the celebration of the Trofeo Promoción Mini Sella, on 6 August, in which around 400 children from different canoeing clubs in Spain and even from countries such as Argentina, Ireland, Germany and Portugal took part. A fully consolidated test and this year celebrated its twentieth edition.
In the men's K2 category, Adrián García Camila and Álvaro Fernández Fiuza won first place, and in the women's category, Mireia Isoba Suárez and Sara Figaredo Álvarez.
