While Damián Quintero performs the last exercises of his training, Ignacio Paramio, press officer, does not stop taking photos and recording videos of him. The karate fighter, at 38, is one of a kind. At the very least, pioneer. And he has the secret formula of infinite time. “If I want to stand out in this and have visibility to, basically, attract brands and for the media to begin to know me, I have to put people who deal with communication issues by my side,” he thought more than ten years ago. At the CAR facilities in Madrid, he sweats like nobody else (he attends AS after an extra session); when he gets out of them, his life is no less busy. He takes care of social networks with care, is constantly seen at social and sporting events, promotes solidarity initiatives and also steps into offices, where he sees himself in the not too distant future, as a sports manager. Last year, he considered withdrawing. Finally, he decided to continue. This week (from March 22 to 26), he will compete in the Europeans in Guadalajara, where he aspires to gold.
Karate has its origin in the 16th century, in the native martial techniques of the Ryukyu Islands (today, Okinawa); but Damián, the best of all time in the kata modality, is a 21st century karate fighter. In 2011, he created his first account on a social network, Instagram. “Then, I opened one in everything there was,” she expands with a laugh. Currently, it accumulates almost half a million followers between the aforementioned platform (210,000), Facebook (69,000), Twitter (18,800) and Tik Tok (151,500).. Its content is very diverse. Dances, routines, anecdotes, lifestyle… “I think you have to be natural, not act. That’s what people like. I know soccer players and they are excellent people, but they are deified. A dome has been made for them. We are more go-getters. So in that sense, we are normal people. And people like that: to see you train, what is your life, etc. ”, he explains.
CHEMA DIAZACE DAILY
When he began to use the networks, many colleagues did not understand him. “Do you think you’re a footballer uploading a photo trained or what?” They told him. Now, they have become a necessity for everyone. “I looked at them and went to my ball. To this day, they also have open social networks, but of course, one already has a brand made “he proudly emphasizes. In his case, the two factors necessary to penetrate the media sphere have come together: a strategy for it and, above all, sports results that support him. In addition to silver at the Tokyo Olympics, “the big jump”, “another roll”, Damián can boast of more than 120 medals in his record. He defends that “one must invest in oneself” and is also part of the agency you first, which is in charge of the commercial part and sponsorships. “We live on scholarships and private sponsors. I, thank God, have had several for years. In this sense, I think I have done quite well. If you remain seated… ‘This one has come out and I haven’t come out’, I hear sometimes. Well, do something to get out, ”she develops. He does it, both on and off the mat.
Changes to renew motivation
“2022 was a weird year, right after the Games. ‘I’m retiring, I’m not retiring… what do I do, how is 2023 coming?’, she reflected. I knew that these Europeans were in Spain, that they could be the last, and that is something very cool”, reveals Damián about his thoughts before starting the season. In Guadalajara, she found a new goal to go towards; in Antonio Expósito, his new physical trainer, a new form of motivation. “In September, when the season started, I went back to the CAR and saw that things were at a standstill. I believe that changes are sometimes necessary,” he says.. He hired Expósito in a personal capacity, beyond the means provided by the Federation, and he grabbed José Antonio Alburquerque to protect the path he has walked so far. Jesús del Moral, Sandra Sánchez’s partner, with whom he has started a multitude of projects, and the name that shines after the great successes of Spanish karate, is no longer part of the national team; Alburquerque, who was his assistant, has remained as a link with that past, which is still present, splendid. “José has given me that stability, that continuity that is also necessary after the departure of Jesús, which is a very big change. Now he is my coach, beyond Fran Salazar (coach), and Expósito is my coach. Then, I have Pablo del Río as a psychologist, ”Damián specifies, recounting his team.
Works. In the Cairo Premier League, his first international competition in ten months, he was gold. “The results are the informer of whether things are being done well,” he celebrates. Last year, in Turkey, after losing to the local Ali Sofuoglu, Quintero was silver. In Guadalajara, he wants to reverse history. “I want to face him at home, I have trained hard and in Egypt I saw that I am above,” he warned. It is your immediate goal. Because it chases more. On the one hand, advancing in the professionalization of karate, in which “a step back has been taken”. “If you win the world circuit champion, you get €5,000 and no one lives with that. What do people do? He stops training and leaves. Paddle tennis is an example to follow ”, she analyzes. On the other, intrinsically linked to the above, return karate to the Games. For now, “no news.” “There is no clear answer as to Los Angeles (2028). There are many practitioners in the United States, but it is true that surfing, skateboarding, climbing or break dancing are very tough competitors that make it more difficult for us to return ”, she deepens. He will fight for it. With or without karategi on. In their own way, which they are all. For the karate of the XVI and XXI. Forever and ever.