To become a world champion it takes dedication, determination, the ability to stay focused when the pressure mounts and a whole lot of talent. This season we have witnessed exceptional performances from true-athletes at the top of their game, but five stars have managed to rise through the ranks and taken the world champion titles.
We will be talking to all the world champions over the coming weeks from all three disciplines to find out how they have achieved their dreams, what special training techniques they use and having accomplished the ultimate goal what's next on their agenda's?
First up is the wave sailing legend Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne). Daida has dominated the women's wave fleet for well over a decade, and along with her twin sister Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) they have claimed an astonishing total of twenty-one world titles. We have caught up with Daida to find out what makes her tick, what motivates her to keep winning titles and where she hopes to progress from here on in.
PWA: How does it feel to have won another world title and dominated in the waves once again?
Daida: "It is an amazing feeling, no doubt. It is the final satisfaction from the hours I have spent on the water training. But the greatest feeling is that either my sister and myself had reached a total of 21 world titles, and many other subtitles.a real Guinness World Record!"
PWA: Are you just as motivated to keep winning titles as when you started?
Daida: "I think the victories are a consequence of training as I said before. I never ever trained thinking about winning a world title. I just trained for my own satisfaction, to push myself, to push my limits, to enjoy trying new moves and improving other moves, to be learning every day. That's the real "drug" of windsurfing you never stop learning. You can move two steps forward training, and another day be one step behind, but the most important thing is to move forward, be patient, to have imagination and finally to have fun".
PWA: What do you hope to achieve now? New moves? Spending more time teaching in the windsurfing camps?
Daida: "Yes, my main goal is to improve myself and teach other girls and especially kids to push their limits as well, and to introduce them into this wonderful sport. To be an icon is not only a good way to collaborate in the world of windsurfing, you also have to be out there and talk to the people, spend time with them and be with them in the water".
PWA: How do you structure your training, do you have a goal when you hit the water?
Daida: "I generally spend about two hours in the water in every session (but some times it is even longer depending in the conditions). Before hitting the water I make sure my gear is tuned correctly and do some warm up exercises. Once I'm on the water, I spend ten minutes extra warming up, and after I go straight to the waves and train the moves I have to improve (jumping and wave riding). My goal is always to come out of the water with a big smile, and I try not to come out of the water with a bad feeling (even though sometimes is inevitable ha ha)".