Teresa Portela turned 39 years old in May;
20 of them he has spent in canoeing.
He entered the national team in 2001;
20 years later he is preparing to play his sixth Olympic Games.
It is a longevity record.
No Spanish athlete had achieved so much.
If reaching the elite is difficult, staying up there for two decades, even longer.
Especially in a discipline as explosive as the K1-200.
Portela has won 15 world and 17 European medals.
He only lacks an Olympic metal, he has been chasing him since Sydney 2000. This mini-documentary tells how close he was to him in London 2012 when a small setback prevented him.
Key dates to follow Teresa Portela
The canoeing events in Tokyo will be held on the Sea Forest Canal.
The K1-200 qualifying rounds begin on Monday, August 2 at 9:30 a.m. Japanese time (2:30 a.m. in Spain);
the quarters are scheduled for 11:45 (in Spain 4:45).
The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, August 3 at 9.30am (2.30am in Spain) and the final at 11.37am (4.37am in Spain).
Subscribe here
to our special newsletter about the Tokyo Games