Saúl Craviotto and Alfonso Benavides show their London shape at Spanish Sprint Championships

Frenzy weekend of races last days at Trasona Dam (Asturias, Spain) with the Spanish Sprint Championships, with two of our Olympic paddlers doing their last test before giving everything at Eton Dorney in two weeks. Saúl Craviotto (K1 200) and Alfonso Benavides (C1 200) gave no chance to their opponents and claimed gold with terrific performances, showing that their olympic medal assault is in the right way.

Photo Finish had to decide the medals at the K4 200, amazing race

But not only the mediatic olympic paddlers were taking all the flashes. From our point of view, the main character of the event was junior female paddler Begoña Lazkano, who took six golds out of six races by winning K1 200, 500 and 1,000 and then doing the same with her teammate Amaia Benavente on the K2 over the three distances. These girls, under Ekaitz Saies coaching, are definitely looking forward for some exciting future.

Pérez Rial and Craviotto, this one also in K1, qualified to fight the 200 at Poznan

After the third and last trial in Spain over 200 metres, held this morning at the dam of Trasona (Asturias), Saúl Craviotto has become the Spanish representative in K1 200 at the Preolympic Qualifier to be cometed next week at Poznan (Poland).

Only two legs were needed by the Beijing olympic champion to beat, not easily at all, his rival and partner at the 4 x 200 national team Ekaitz Saies. There they are the 35.3 seconds the catalonian had to set to ensure the fight for the olympic berth. After the three trials held this spring, Craviotto left no chance to the rest of paddlers, by winning 6 out of 6 legs, something that talks clearly about the optimum shape he's got this winter to face a demanding season.

In K2 200, finally there was no trial, as the opponents of Bejing gold medalists over 500 metres Craviotto and Pérez Rial, that were supposed to be Cristian Toro and Carlos Garrote, finally opted no to compete, so Craviotto and "Perucho" are now in the way for their last chance of getting into the fight to repeat the olympic glory, after thir surprising elimination in the semifinals of 2011 World Champs at Szeged.

Francisco Cubelos will be the Spanish K1 1.000 at the preolympic in Poznan. Craviotto and Saies, to fight for the K1 200

The Spanish Verducido Dam has seen this last weekend the young star Francisco "Paco" Cubelos earning the K1 1.000 place for the Spanish National Team trying to get the olympic berths in play at Poznan in May.

Cubelos, Peña and Cosgaya finishing in 7 tenths of a second

In a cold, rainy and windy weekend, many races were on the water along these two days, where the Spanish 1.000 metres Cup was held. But one of them was truly expected, as the K1 final was also the National Team Trial for the 1.000. If Francisco Cubelos or Íñigo Peña happened to win, they would get directly the place to fight in Poznan Preolympic Trial and avoiding further trials with a third paddler. And it happened, as the got first and second places, in a close finish where Diego Cosgaya also appeared to finally earn the bronze medal. Only 4 tenths separated Cubelos and Peña (picture above), while Cosgaya arrived 3 tenths later. Cubelos' victory was a truly morale booster, as he had to squeeze himself to the limit to beat Peña and Cosgaya, resulting in going down the barrier of the 3'30", stopping the clocking in 3'29"750.

Saúl Craviotto leads the Spanish trials for the olympic qualifying

P. Andrés (left) and S. Craviotto (right)

The Beijing olympic champion Saúl Craviotto won yesterday the first Spanish National Team trials aiming to qualify the K1 and K2 boats over 200 metres for the Olympic games at London 2012. The trials were supposed to have 11 contestants, but a last minute shoulder injury of Craviotto's partner at the Beijing gold, Carlos Pérez, left the K1 trial in 10 paddlers and only two boats on the K2. Craviotto won the two final legs scheduled and Cristian Toro and Carlos Garrote were the K2 winners.

Two semifinals had to leave just nine paddlers go through the final, so the worst time was eliminated and that was Borja prieto, who sadly would have to wait for another chance in April at the second trial. The nine paddlers going to the final were Fran Llera, Paulino Otero, Rodrigo Germade, Cristian Toro, Carlos Garrote, Carlos Arévalo, Saúl Craviotto, Pablo Andrés and Ekaitz Saies.