Everything was joy on the coast of Punta Lara when
Pilar Tellería
, a 19-year-old swimmer from Parque Leloir, Ituzaingó, managed
to swim across the Río de la Plata
from the Uruguayan city of Colonia del Sacramento to the
Argentine shores of the Ensenada district.
There her parents, some of her friends and relatives waited for her to see how Pilar fulfilled her dream that she had had since she was 15 years old.
A 42-kilometer test that she knew how to cross according to plan, leaving at 6:08 in the morning of Monday, March 13 and arriving at the Argentine coast a few minutes after 6:30 p.m.
Although something that is not relevant in this type of test is the crossing time, since it depends a lot on the swimmer, the weather conditions and, above all, being able to follow a course that does not deviate so much from her objective, the young woman from the West managed to a time of 12 hours and 18 minutes and 40 seconds.
The young woman from the West achieved a time of 12 hours and 18 minutes and 40 seconds.
(Photo: Courtesy Tellería Family)
Perseverance in swimming is the most important point to achieve dreams, so much so that for Pilar this was her second attempt, encouraged by "Coco", who the young swimmer considers as a grandfather.
It was one of the great reasons for her to jump back into the water and, this time, to do it under her watchful eye from the guide boat accompanied by the coach.
The most emotional part of the crossing occurred at the end.
He had a reunion with his family and an emotional hug with his mother.
Something that made her burst into tears after the tough test that had ended minutes before.
"
It is a dream that I have had since I was 15 years old
, I think it helps me to understand that nothing is impossible and that nothing was in vain, because a year ago I had an attempt to cross and I could not complete it; I understand
that I am giving a message of perseverance: honestly, I was always convinced that this time I was going to make it
," says Pilar.
Pilar Tellería, training in one of her open water routines.
(Photo: Courtesy Flia. Tellería)
"In my head I was trying not to give up despite the fact that the last 10 kilometers were very hard, as they had anticipated. I only focused on finishing the journey, on enjoying every minute and I told myself 'stop fucking around, you have to get there'. My family was waiting and "Coco" accompanied me, I was convinced that this was it", the young woman recounts how the hardest stage of the journey was and how encouraged she was to get there.
The young athlete
began in the world of swimming when she was very young at a recreational level
and then had an
impasse
in which she tried other disciplines such as artistic gymnastics and dance.
She didn't like her and at the age of 11 she ended up going back to her native sport.
"
From 11 to 15 I swam in the CAVA Ituzaingó club
and had some competitions against neighborhood clubs, but
I quickly realized that open water was my thing
: at 14 I had my first competition in the specialty and I didn't stop more", details Pilar.
"From the age of 11 to 15, I swam at the CAVA club in Ituzaingó, although I quickly realized that my thing was open water," Pilar details.
(Photo: Courtesy Flia. Tellería)
The first important test he did in open water was the
20-kilometer Vuelta de Obligado a San Pedro
when he was 15 years old and he currently continues to compete on the Argentine calendar, although he also aims to move to international swimming.
Pilar underwent
rigorous training to cross the Río de la Plata: to which she dedicated about six hours to get physically ready
at the Argentine Center for Sports Excellence (Cenared) in Ituzaingó, divided into a pool and a gym.
"We know everything that Pilar sacrificed for this dream, we are fully confident that everything she sets out to achieve, we know the exits, the meals and everything she left aside to be fully at the time of the crossing, seeing her arrive was very exciting," says her mother, her voice cracking, her chest full of pride at what her daughter had accomplished.
Pilar underwent rigorous training to cross the Río de la Plata: to which she dedicated about six hours to get physically ready.
(Photos: Courtesy of Flia Tellería).
Before this tough test, he was in Colón, Entre Ríos, where
he covered 37 kilometers of the Uruguay River in 10 hours and showed that he was very close to the performance he needed to unite Colonia with Punta Lara
.
At night and with a light buoy
"I feel very satisfied with what I have been doing and I don't think I have many things to improve, but what is
important from now on is swimming at night, because the journey that I am going to make in the Río de La Plata will surely It will start at night
: I will have a luminous buoy tied that I will take off at dawn", the swimmer had detailed how it would be part of the beginning of her journey.
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Until now,
the youngest swimmer who crossed the Río de la Plata was the Argentine Lautaro Lasagna: in 2013 he spent 13 hours and 59 minutes to cross the watercourse
and his goal was in solidarity: to help the mistreated boys who lived at that time in the former Casa Cuna in Buenos Aires.
Now, 10 years later, Pilar Tellería repeated the feat, which is very expensive because she cannot swim alone in the river and must have her own team, made up of her coach and her meditation teacher and "Coco", an experienced in these crossings, who will be in a boat and will be in charge of feeding it, hydrating it and giving it technical instructions to carry out the crossing.
He had the support of an organizing group for open water trips, it is Open Water Argentina (OWA Argentina), "It was an exemplary organization, I felt very comfortable and they followed minute by minute with prosecutors who took the time to swim. In addition From time to time they did live on Instagram so that people who couldn't be there would follow me," explains the young woman.
In addition, throughout the journey she had a Red Cross boat that escorted her with doctors and lifeguards and in certain sections the Argentine Prefecture will be accompanying the delegation and in others, the Uruguayan Prefecture.
"At the moment my parents are helping me to pay for a large part of the expenses and we also have support from the Municipality and the Quickly tights brand, which designs custom-made models for me and also supports me financially. Cenared is also collaborating, putting its property at my entire disposal so that I can train everything I need", closes the swimmer from Ituzaingó.
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