And do you know Alan Cleland? It is one of the unknowns that has been cleared up in the first days of the Olympic Games. Now the question is: what Mexican does not know Alan Cleland? The Mexican surfer has been supported like no other on the fluctuating social networks. From a character from Rocket Power, SpongeBob to an Aquaman-like character. Cleland has surprised his compatriots by advancing to the round of 16 in Paris 2024. Well, what he achieved in the beach venue in Tahiti, the venue for surfing. This Monday he had a very demanding duel against the French Joan Duru.
It all began in Boca de Pascuales, a town in the municipality of Tecomán in the small state of Colima. Its location on the Mexican Pacific makes it an ideal window to the sea for surfing. Alan Cleland was born there, raised under the double face of the sea: tranquility and fury. His father, Mr. Alan Cleland, settled in Mexico encouraged by the small stretch of paradise he had found in Mexico. In 2002, his firstborn was born, who wanted to compete in the major international surfing tournaments. His father served as his first coach and, more than two decades later, remains his advisor on the waves. Little Alan was a regular on a skateboard and, when there were vacations, he tried the snowboard. His thing was to try to push himself to the limit, even if he had to break his face in the falls on the surfboard; months ago he broke his heel and knee ligament. He collects blows, he collects lessons.
“I want to tell people that surfing is an extreme and professional sport, it is not for hippies; it is a high-performance sport. I know that many people do not know this, but we train until exhaustion and fight for great results,” Cleland told Proceso magazine. He has traveled to every beach with waves he can find to compete. From a very young age he knew that he wanted to compete in the world championships and represent Mexico. During his effervescent fame these days of the Olympic Games, there have been those who have doubted his roots. He, Mexican by birth, does not stop showing off his tricolor flag. Nor his best poses dominating the waves.
If there is an iconic image of Alan Cleland, it is the one he left behind when he won the World Surfing Games in 2023 in El Salvador. The Mexican was carried on shoulders in a celebration that put him at the top of the world and guaranteed him a golden ticket. Yes, a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics to represent Mexico and be the first in its history to compete in an Olympic event. That world title was also won by Mexican surfer Jhony Corzo in 2017, although he was not lucky enough to make it to the Games.
“It is an honor for me to be able to teach all the Mexican athletes, and the girls, boys and children, that everything is possible and that they should follow their dreams, set big goals and not give up because everything is possible in this life,” Cleland told the organizers in French Polynesia. The surfer only visited the National High Performance Center in Mexico City in May of this year, where, according to what he told Conade, he met the multidisciplinary team for all Mexican athletes for the first time. “It was a very special visit for me, an honor and seeing the other athletes who are also here, who will represent Mexico, who dedicate their lives to their respective disciplines, that excited me, they like me are motivated in the different sports and I hope that our country goes up,” he said. Cleland, who is saying goodbye to Paris, caused thousands of Mexicans to start googling all the fundamentals of surfing in record time.
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