Mass bath for the Olympic Joan Toni Moreno at the Reial Club Nàutic Port de Pollença

The Reial Club Nàutic Port de Pollença (RCNPP) has given a hero's welcome to its canoeist Joan Toni Moreno after he was proclaimed runner-up in the absolute World Cup and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris together with his C2 500 teammate, the Galician Diego Domínguez.

The athlete from Pollença has become the fourth representative of the RCNPP to participate in the world's greatest athletic event. He was preceded by the surfer Eduardo Bellini (Los Angeles 1984), the Tornado class sailor José Luis Ballester (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 - gold - and Athens 2000) and the canoeist Sete Benavides (London 2012 - bronze - and Rio 2016).

Moreno, who returned to Mallorca in the early hours of Monday morning after taking part in the World Cup held in Szeged, Hungary, was acclaimed on his arrival at the club by the members of the canoeing team, who made him an aisle of honour. There he was congratulated by his teammates and the attending authorities: Martí Mach, mayor of Pollença; Pedro Mas, island director of Tourism of the Consell de Mallorca; Pedro Vidal, regional secretary of Culture and Sports of the Balearic Government; Juan Carlos Fuentes, president of the Balearic Canoe Federation, and Joaquín Cotoner, president of the RCNPP. All of them stressed the importance of the Balearic Islands having a new representative in the Games. One of the most emotional moments was when Sete Benavides presented Joan Antoni Moreno with an RCNPP pennant as a symbol of the Olympic baton.

Thrilled by the reception, Joan Toni Moreno said he was happy for his achievement, which is "the fullfilment of a dream", and said he was "very motivated" ahead of the Paris Games, where he is the runner-up in the world championship and has the chance to fight for the podium. "We have won silver in a competition where there were other boats that will participate in the Games and yes, I think we can dream of a medal," added the Pollenca canoeist, who faces the Olympic event with "great enthusiasm" and aware that last Saturday his career took a giant leap that will subject him to greater public exposure and, therefore, to more pressure.

His coach, Kiko Martín, highlighted, in this sense, the "mental strength" that Joan Toni has shown since he started competing at the highest level. "He has not only qualified for Paris, he has done so with a high score, which leads us to believe that he could be in the fight for the medals. Joan Toni and Diego form a very competitive crew. However, everyone who is going to be at the Games has a chance because they are very good", said the Olympic coach of the Spanish canoe team, who praised the determination and winning character of the athlete from Pollença: "He doesn't care if there is wind or not, if the weather is adverse, if there is someone bigger than him... Joan Toni never looks back and the competition doesn't make him nervous. That character is his great strength".