Swimmer Rubén Gutierrez has done half a thousand open water tests

Last Tuesday 15 August, on the occasion of the celebration of the 82nd swimming crossing to the Port of Motril, the oldest swimming crossing in Andalusia, and among the 5 oldest in Spain; Swimmer Rubén Gutierrez has reached the round figure of 500 in the open water test disputed.

Although there is no official record at the state level, it can be said without fear of error that we are talking about The first swimmer in Spain to reach these numbersThus, the Spanish swimmer with the largest number swims behind.

After all these contested tests, it is necessary to highlight the fact that Rubén Gutierrez, He never gave up racing and he was never disqualified; So he crossed the finish line on all of them.

The swimmer added that huge number of tests in 19 seasons. Since the first test I have participated in open water without having swum in the sea before, which was the most famous Tabarca Santa Paula in 2005 (more than 5 km); Until the last of the port of Motril. And although there have been seasons in which he has taken more Tests and others fewer, the average in a season is just over 26 Tests, which is outrageous. His record was established in a total of 38 Tests. As an anecdote, it can be explained that even in the summer after the lockdown, when most swimming trips were cancelled, he managed to compete in some of the few that were held, traveling to Gijón, Palencia and Gibraltar.

Naturally, the vast majority of these tests took place in Spain, where he participated Open water tests in all independent communities With the exception of Galicia, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja and the autonomous city of Melilla. As a curiosity, it should be noted that more than 100 tests have been carried out in Portuguese waters, and not in vain He has been competing for over 8 years It is owned by Portuguese teams, FC Ferrerias, O2 Portinado and LAgoa AC, which it combines with other Spanish clubs. Having also gone through some auditions in Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, UK and Netherlands.

The diversity of distances, forms and types of competitions in which he participated greatly. Swimming in seas, oceans, rivers, estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, swamps and even in a pond. For example, the longest test was the 16 km Vuelta a Ceuta, where he was the overall runner-up. While the Luxor was a crossing of the Guadiana River, about 250 meters, yes, against the current. We can also highlight from official exams such as the Masters World Championships he played, in Goteborg SWE and Riccione ITA; Or the three European masters, Bled SLV, in Cádiz and Eindhoven NED (where he came with a diploma to his position as a “finalist” for being ranked 7th. Fighting in several Spanish and Portuguese Open Water Championships (where he won 7 medals), countless regional championships in Open water, in Andalusia, Extremadura or Castilla-La Mancha, as well as national open water circuit tests in Spain and Portugal, as well as provincial circuits and multiple swim crossings.

Turning to the numbers, the results can only be described as amazing. Talking about Absolute overall rating In these open water events, Robyn has a 45 victory; Adding a total of 127 podiums (45 gold – 42 silver – 40 bronze). What gives the amazing percentages of 9% in wins and just over 25% in podiums! But if we look at the results obtained within his country class or age group In the tests he participated in, those numbers rose exponentially, to 269 victories (almost 54%), and 452 podiums (just over 90%).

Among all these contested competitions, Robyn has witnessed the birth of many auditions; That many of them later disappeared and others were consolidated is still in dispute. It also participated in some of the most important historical events held in Spain, such as the oldest of them, the FC Barcelona Cup, which takes place on Christmas morning in the waters of the Barcelona port. Or the swimming crossings of the port of Tarragona or the port of Motril, both of which are among the 5 oldest in Spain, with more than 80 prints behind them.

The tests taken most of the time, with 13 editions: the international crossing of the Guadiana River, which joins the municipalities of Ayamonte and Vila Real de Santo Antonio, and the swim from Spain to Portugal, where the direction is reversed every year. Punta Umbria crossing, which started at the Ría del Odiel and later moved to Playa de la Canaleta. and the Playas de la Redondela Crossing, for which Rubén is the technical director, since it began in 2009.