Jesús Rollán and the route of that Sancheski

Cover of the book Jesús Eternal Rollán.

There are toys that unify memories of many childhoods.

That skateboard with the orange deck and the letters of the brand —Sancheski— engraved on the face on which the feet rest, tempted several generations of children to launch themselves downhill through the streets of towns and cities, making sure that no cars or naturally learning the secrets of aerodynamics.

On those slopes an analogy of life was generated, whose paths are inscrutable.

The road could offer unexpected stops, detours or drops.

You never knew how many seconds the race would last, or where it would end.

Nor what was at the end.

When Jesús Rollán was 9 years old, those skateboard descents were part of the excitement of the daily plan.

He was a boy with great aptitude for sports.

He was good at everyone.

Soccer, high jump, tennis or basketball.

Shortly after making the decision to dedicate himself to water polo, a letter from Real Madrid arrived at his house, inviting him to try out in the lower categories of the football section.

But the itinerary was already mapped out.

Jesús Eternal Rollán (Corner) is the title of the book written by journalists Francisco Ávila and Alberto Martínez to tell the story of one of the best water polo players in history.

He played five Olympic Games defending the goal of the Spanish team.

He took gold in Atlanta in 1996. He took silver in Barcelona.

He conquered world, European and personal recognitions.

He left.

He suffered a serious depression derived from his addictions and on March 11, 2006 he committed suicide in the detoxification center where he was hospitalized.

He was 37 years old.

"I can not anymore.

Thank you all.

My life in sports is coming to an end and that of Rollán the coach will begin.

I need to cry, let off steam, wander through my memories, relive so many happy moments, so many friends, so much happiness...” he told reporters on the day of his retirement.

The route of that Sancheski took a new destination.

Only a few realized the depth of the notches that had been generated along the way.

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