Gisela Pulido is the wind symbol representing Spain at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024

>

The joy sounds in her voice. Gisela Pulido answers a phone call from YO DONA hours after she earned her Olympic license for Paris 2024 by finishing fifth at the European Championships in Portsmouth. This will be the eighth venue for Spanish sailing (out of ten disciplines available) at the upcoming Games, the first in which kitesurfing will be an Olympic discipline. "I'm very happy, although I'm still a little bit in shock, realizing everything because it's been a very tough week. There was only one spot and there were three athletes competing for it," she tells us.

Selfies of Gisela Pulido surfing at East Anglia One (UK), one of the largest wind farms in the world, owned by Iberdrola.

This is not the first time her name has made sports history. Last September, she became the first athlete to conquer a wind turbine park. This was at East Anglia One, in the North Sea (UK), one of the largest wind farms in the world, owned by Scottish Power (Iberdrola). Its 300 km² area houses a hundred windmills over 160 meters high. "I suggested it to Iberdrola and it was an incredible experience. Floating in the middle of the sea, among windmills, is something no one has ever done. "

A LIFE DEDICATED TO THE SEAG/h3>

Born in Premi de Mar (Barcelona) on January 14, 1994, she imitated her father from childhood, playing every sport he tried. In 2001 she was introduced to kitesurfing, but at first only from a sandy beach as it was too dangerous for such a little girl. "People were surprised to see me kitesurfing because not many people were doing it back then. I think my father was one of the pioneers in Spain [...]. When I started, I bought a kit in Hawaii, but when it arrived, it was too big for me and I had to buy another one and remake it to make it safe," she relates. Her father is her main example.

"When I retire, I'm going to do all the things I haven't been able to do all these years, like getting to know the cities, not just the beaches [laughter]." Gisela Pulido

The following year, in 2002, she received her baptism as a kitesurfer and began to move up rapidly. In 2004, at just 10 years old, Gisela won the world's first ever Freestyle Kitesurfing World Championship.

The transition to a new discipline has not been easy. "Formula Kite is a discipline where weight plays a big role: the more you weigh, the faster you go. And all the girls weigh 15-20 pounds more than me. I'm the only one who weighs 60 pounds. It's hard mentally, knowing that I'm not on the podium because of a physical lack," she points out.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WORKG/h3>

To gain the muscle she needs, she follows a strict workout regimen that includes two weeks of both gym and water work and one week of rest. "To focus on gaining weight and not traveling so much, I plan to move to Fuerteventura for four months this winter," she says. The mental component is also very important: "If your head is not where it should be, it doesn't matter how well you are physically and technically prepared. For that, I work a lot with a sports psychologist," she adds.

In her 29 years, she has not yet thought about ending her career. When that happens, she'll stay connected to the sport, but will take the opportunity to enjoy all the things she's been deprived of all these years. "I'm going to be a priority. The money I make now, I have invested well in real estate in Tarifa, a school and a kite store. So I'm going to take the opportunity to end my career in journalism, which I'm completely unfinished, and pursue music, which I really enjoy. I'll also enjoy my family and friends and do all the things I haven't been able to do all these years, like getting to know the cities in depth, not just their beaches [laughter]. I've traveled a lot around the world, but I've seen little," says Gisela Pulido, along with her dog Fly.