Yes, José Tomás returned to the ring —three years after his last bullfight— but his return did not meet the enormous expectations raised by his entrapment with four bulls in the La Alameda de Jaén bullring, which won the jackpot in the epilogue of his fair girl in June.
It is true that José Tomás left with two ears cut off, but the sensations left by the celebration is that, had he accompanied the bulls, the loot could have approached the excellence to which the Galapagar bullfighter has accustomed us.
José Tomás' work went from less to more.
His attitude was impeccable throughout the afternoon and the inactivity of three years without jumping into the ring seemed to affect him in no way.
Much thinner although in apparent good physical shape, José Tomás sought himself out over and over again, but he never found the complicity of the bulls that, although noble, were always lacking in ferocity.
Paradoxically, the most sublime moments were experienced in the first of the afternoon, a Victoriano del Río bull that did not live up to its name,
Malicious
.
José Tomás took the bull to the media and linked a series of speedwells with amazing slowness, as if stopping time.
The task was completed with some chicuelinas, a batch of statutory that and a series of muletazos with the right while sounding the bars of
Sighs of Spain
of the Municipal Music Band of Jaén.
José Tomás soon won over the public, but his inexperience with the sword ruined the best moments of this reappearance.
The second, from Álvaro Núñez, a bull without any route or rhythm, was received by spearing him and with several veronica stockings full of aesthetics.
Then he tried it with a series of naturals and chest passes, but no matter how hard he tried, the bull had enormous difficulties in his fight and never came along.
Again, silence on the lines.
José Tomás gradually got into the bullfight to the point that the prizes came in the third and fourth.
From Victoriano del Río, again with little travel, he managed to get a series of beautiful speedwells and naturals that made the public vibrate.
There was also no lack of
uys
in the lines every time José Tomás stayed a few centimeters from the bull, especially with a series of chest and semicircular passes behind the hip.
He was rewarded with an ear, although part of the stands asked for more.
José Tomás, during his reappearance, this Sunday in Jaén.Juan de Dios Ortiz (Europa Press)
In the fourth,
Piripi
, from the Juan Pedro Domecq ranch, wasted no time raising palms on the stands with his revoleras and ballet flats with his cape.
And the best, he left it for last: up to three statutory members who left the public breathless.
another ear.
In short, a bullfight that left a bittersweet taste.
The thousands of unconditional supporters of the Galapagar bullfighter —many of them arrived from other European countries and South America— probably would have expected something more from his idol, but a round afternoon was never achieved.
And the public felt more disappointed when their general request for the presidency to present them with one more bull, with a hat, was not heeded.
That gift did not arrive and José Tomás, after greeting the stands, quietly left thinking about his next challenge: on August 7 in Alicante, again with a solo trap.
Here too, the more than 15,000 tickets flew out in just a few hours.
That yes, the public of Jaén thanked José Tomás for choosing this city for his reappearance (here he never did the paseíllo as a matador, although he did as a bullfighter), a bullfighting event that has generated an enormous economic impact in the capital of Jaén and its metropolitan area, with complete hotels and restaurants and, above all, with a stamp, that of the La Alameda arena that came to recall glorious past times.
JOSE TOMAS
Bulls of Juan Pedro Domeq, Victoriano del Río and Álvaro Núñez
, well presented, noble, but lacking in transmission and breed.
José Tomás
: four punctures (silence);
lunge (silence);
lunge (ear);
lunge (ear).
Alameda Square in Jaen
.
June 12, at more than 40 degrees of temperature.
Full of "there are no tickets" (10,500 spectators).