“This is the prize,” says Gines' mother, Mavi.
After the event, when Gines emerged from the interview area after his media duties were finished, a group of friends and family were waiting for him. He was showered with hugs and kisses from his parents, his significant other and longtime climbing companions.
They all took the quick three-hour flight from Spain to Budapest to cheer on Gines here, hoping to make up for missing out on seeing him win Olympic gold three years ago.
“We have about 25 friends and family here,” his excited and proud mother Mavi said in Spanish. The couple rented six apartments in Budapest for the pageant. “This is the result of a lot of hard work and time.
“[In Tokyo] “Because of the pandemic we couldn't be there in person, but we all gathered in Madrid, the Spanish Olympic Committee organized our stay, all his family and all his friends were there to watch him, and those same people are here now.”
Gines finished second at the OQS Shanghai and therefore places herself in a great position to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by reaching the final here in Budapest.
“I would say my condition is actually excellent,” he admitted. “I'm very surprised because it's been a pretty tough season. All the hours in the gym are now paying off.”
If his trip to Paris is confirmed, the chants of “Alberto, Alberto” will likely accompany him to the Le Bourget sport climbing venue in August.
“We're all there,” Mavi Lopez said. “All of us and more!”
Since National Olympic Committees have the exclusive right to represent their teams at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 will depend on their national NOCs selecting them to represent them. Click here You can view the qualifying system for each event.
To watch Olympic Qualification Series (OQS) Live in Budapest from May 20th to 23rd Olympic Channel (via Olympics.com) And that The official Olympic Games app for mobile devices.
