Nacho Baltasar, from Sa Ràpita to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024

It ends a meteoric year for the "iqfoiler" of the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita (CNR), Nacho Baltasar. A 2023 in which he has gone from being a sailor of Sa Ràpita, to the Olympian Nacho Baltasar. In just a few months the 19 year old will see one of his dreams come true and will be the first sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita to participate in the Olympic Games, in which IQFoil will debut as an Olympic class.

The road to get here has not been easy for the sailor. Baltasar began studying a university degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences last year, but had to make the difficult decision of whether to continue combining studies and sport or focus solely on his sporting career in order to reach his full potential. "I've put quite a few things aside, but obviously I don't regret anything and I would do it again a thousand times, because it's worth it," he assures.

It was worth it, as the Mallorcan athlete won the place for Spain for the next Olympic Games in Paris after signing a brilliant performance at the World Championship in the IQFoil class. "It is one of the most beautiful things that have happened to me, because the best 100 competed and it was a battle" confesses Baltasar recalling that moment. In this World Championship the first tickets for the Paris games were at stake, and aware of that pressure, Nacho Baltasar placed himself in the top positions from the first heat. "I fought very hard to be there and, once you're up there, you don't want to get off," Baltasar acknowledges. 

Shortly after, the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV) chose him to represent Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where IQFoil will debut as an Olympic class. In this way, the windsurfer from Sa Ràpita will be the first sailor in the history of his club, Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita (CNR), to participate in the Olympics. "I will be the first, but I hope not to be the last" sentences the "iqfoiler".

On the day he was told the news, he was driving and had to stop at a curb and pay attention to the conversation. "I couldn't believe it. Two years ago I was competing to win a Junior World Cup and now I'm going to the Olympic Games, it's a giant step" admits Baltasar who confesses that the first person he called to tell him the news was his mother. "My mother couldn't believe it, and my friends and teammates experienced it from the first moment in first person. It's a dream that has come from one day to the next, and I feel completely supported by the club, my friends and my family. They must all feel the Olympic dream as their own, because they are part of the project," he reflects.

A project that Baltasar did not have in mind when he started with 5 years old sailing his first Optimist class. "The Olympic Games were not even present in my daily life. I come from the CN Sa Ràpita, from a small family, from a small town that has never lived an experience like this," admits the sailor, who after having a great track record in the Optimist class, decided to change discipline and start in Techno 293. "It was a bit daring to change from Optimist to Techno, because it is another different sport, it is going from sailing to windsurfing and when I started there was not much fleet". In fact, at that time, from Sa Rapita, only Baltasar, his brother and a friend were sailing in Techno. But they were lucky to have good coaches from the beginning, such as Jazmín López and Julián López, two Olympic sailors. Shortly after, Baltasar switched to IQFoil and began training at the Príncipes de España Sports Technification Center with another of his references, José Mayans. "My source of energy is adrenaline, it makes me have more clarity, to be good with myself and the foiling gives me an incredible adrenaline" admits the sailor who confesses that "when I made my first world podium in IQFoil, my Olympic dream began".

And that dream will come true next July in the waters of Marseille, host of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, waters where the tests of the nautical disciplines will be disputed. Until then, Baltasar has different international competitions ahead of him, such as the IQFoil World Championship, which is being held from Monday, January 29th until February 3rd in Lanzarote, where he will compete against his future opponents in the Olympic Games. The best 24 "iqfoilers" in the world will meet in Marseille to fight hard for the precious metals, although in the water they look like rivals, the reality is quite different. "It's a very small fleet, very united and we all get along very well because we are all going for the same thing" recognizes Baltasar who points out that "it is very important not to have enemies, because if in the Games you have a protest and behind you you have a friend, he will always help you more than one with whom you get along badly". Despite having his opponents under control in the competition, he still has a pending subject when he participates in international regattas and that is English. "I'm a person who has a lot of trouble with languages and I've always had my English crossed," he confesses. To overcome this obstacle, the sailor takes classes twice a week to improve his level and be able to express himself better with his teammates and international journalists.

And the fact is that Nacho has a lot of international potential, as he will be the youngest athlete in the IQFoil fleet to participate in the next Olympic Games. A fact, which he does not see as a disadvantage. "I'm going to be the youngest and the hunger that I have, they don't have. Besides, when you are younger you think less and act more" explains Baltasar who confesses that his worst enemy is himself. "Seconds before the starting horn sounds there is a constant fight in my head and it is fear and pressure against oneself. It is not an easy battle, in fact it is the most difficult battle, because the head is something very difficult to control" To overcome this obstacle Baltasar practices in all the competitions in which he participates, concentrating 100% on the regatta. "One thing that works a lot for me is to be very clear about what I want to do, the problems I might have, the possible solutions I can bring beforehand. And I also have some psychological techniques that I work on," Baltasar acknowledges.

With only six months to go until his debut at the Olympic Games, the sailor from Sa Rapita is clear about his goal: "I want the medal. I'm dreaming more and more about the medal. Every free minute I have I think about it, every time I'm on the board I think about having a medal hanging around my neck" confesses Baltasar who adds that "I would love to finish my Olympic Games and, regardless of the result, to be able to live 100% everything that remains. To be able to go to Paris, stay in the village with the athletes, watch other sports and make the most of the experience".

An experience that he will be able to live with his family, who already have everything ready for his trip to France. "My family is obviously going to be at the Games at the foot of the track. My friends are moving sea and land to come to Marseille and transform France in Mallorca, and hopefully they can come" confesses Baltasar who adds "They have also been part of this and I am going to the games thanks in large part to the whole team I have behind me: family, friends, sailing club, federations, technical team, coaches, psychologists, technicians, physios ... This team is giving everything 100% and they deserve a medal just like me".

But in addition to the great support he has, Nacho has made it this far on his own merits and driven by an unwavering passion for the sea. "I love living on a board, on board a boat,.... My life revolves around the sea," he confesses. According to his experience, "an athlete, at this level, has to train a lot, but he also has to know how to disconnect, because otherwise, he can collapse". For Nacho, however, his passion for the sea is such that, for him, "disconnecting" means "going sailing, wingfoiling or surfing".