2018 Quim Fontané Masó - Spain
Quim Fontané Masó (Spain) – Nominee for 2018 Sportsman of the Year
Facebook: www.facebook.com/qfontanemaso
Instagram: www.instagram.com/quimfontane
Born: 1993, Represents: Spain, Sport: Freestyle Kayak
Major Results:
- 2017 - ICF World Champion Freestyle Kayak, Argentina
- 2016 - ECA Freestyle Kayak European Champion
- 2015 - ICF Finalist Freestyle Kayak, Canada
For as long as he can remember, reigning World Freestyle Kayak champion Quim Fontané Masó has lived and breathed whitewater. His lifelong passion was formed at his local paddling club, Salt-Ter Kayak School in Catalonia, Spain, where they paddled on a tiny river that only had water for three months of the year. Now head coach at that same club, Quim has come a long way since he first picked up a paddle, making his way to the very top of the international paddling scene. He has been crowned European Champion twice, Vice-World Champion as a Junior, Vice-European Champion and now ICF World Freestyle Champion - the highlight of his career to date.
That world title was an emotional win, recalls Quim. “Of course, the guy to beat [at the championships in Argentina] was and still is Dane Jackson,” he said. “I mean, he has won three world championships in a row, one as a junior and two as a senior, so he was definitely the guy to beat. He not only won the worlds in Ottawa on a wave, he had also won in the United States in a hole. All-around, I would say he’s the best paddler out there.”
Quim’s personal philosophy is that you should live your life with joy, doing the things you love the most. “I don’t consider myself to be a freestyler or a creek-boater. I’m just a kayaker and I like all the disciplines involved with kayaking,” he said in a recent interview.
TESTIMONIAL/QUOTE:
“Life is a river with all sorts of sections; it has great difficulties, narrow deep gorges and some flatwater. The levels change just as much as your mindset and mood does. The single most important thing is that its waters never stop to flow down from its source to the sea, so you’d better choose the best line.” — Quim Fontané Masó
You - the Public - can vote for this nominee below by selecting the big black 'thumbs up' button (the colour will change from black to grey). You can like (Facebook), tweet (Twitter) or click Google+ to share and show your support, but these do not count as a vote. More information about the voting procedure here. |