Alba Torrens: “I know I wouldn’t be here without my family”

“Sometimes success rises after falling,” he said. Alba Torrens (Binissalem, 1989). At 34 years old, the player has accumulated countless awards that have led him to taste sporting glory with metals and awards of all colors: nine medals with the national team, six EuroleaguesnailsEuropean Super Cuptwo spanish leagues, one Turkish and seven Russian, and countless individual recognitions.

And yet, after qualifying for the Olympic event last weekend, the player was crying. Torrens He will become the second Spanish player in history to participate in the Games for the fourth time. His partner in battle—and current team manager of the national team—, Laia Palau, He was the first to achieve it. The athlete sighed when asked about it and, despite giving lengthy explanations, he admitted that he could barely put into words what this milestone meant. “Phew. When the horn sounded I felt… Happiness. I didn’t think I would cry, but I think it’s all about more than that. So many people support this cause… You know what it means to each other and to feel something very special shared… This is when you feel the most satisfaction and pride. It’s not just the classification. It’s the way. And I’m proud,” said the Mallorcan who , sure enough, hugged all his teammates before holding up the ticket recognizing him as an Olympic athlete again. All this under the combined gaze of the coach where he debuted Endesa Women’s League within Celta Vigo in 2007, Miguel Mendez. The same could not hide his pride when he said out loud that he would experience his first games.

Every success story hides behind the veil of effort, demand and sacrifice. And in Torrens its notoriety Pre-Olympic This is perhaps the confirmation of how the team of his life has risen again, where he debuted at the age of 18 and where he has been involved for more than a decade, after falling from the top and being left without a World Cup in 2022 .A stumble that he has What to see from the track after not being able to join EEuropean 2021 where Spain was left in the top six positions.

The path back to the elite began in the summer of 2023 with silver on Eurobasket where the team Miguel Mendez —who made his debut at the helm of the national team’s bench— showed that the important thing is not how you start, but how you finish. “One of the keys is the belief of this team. When things don’t work out, we never stop believing and we get back up. We accept that things can go wrong because we are human. And we were able to leave the mistake and come back stronger,” he reflected. Torrens.

The athlete, who has just crossed 200 caps, admits that the national team is the team that always restores his enthusiasm. And, closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he remembers his closest environment: “I know I wouldn’t be here without my family. They picked me up at the most difficult moment, at home. Where the heartbeat is stronger. And they also gave me strength and confidence when I was in doubt. Having people who trust you when you don’t trust yourself… That’s so important. And especially the love I always feel. And not because of what I do. The love towards sunrise, dry. For being who I am. And that fills me up the most.”

In this fourth participation in the Olympics, he will be one of five American TAresa Edwards, Diana Taurasi (going on his sixth) and Sue Bird. He is now the second Spanish player with the most Olympic matches played (18) behind him Laia Palau (25). And beyond the figures, records, analysis and statistics, the player emphasizes that on and off the court, the journey was made possible thanks to his family. “I am very lucky with my parents, my sister… My family always accompanies me in all my dreams and in many moments I am very far away. And we missed each other. But I always had maximum support every step of the way and in the end we shared it. I won’t have time or words to thank them for everything they’ve done for me,” he said.

After almost two decades in the elite, the great success of Alba Torrens It is not measured or weighed by its endless record. Beyond the public figure, the interaction with the best basketball players and the greatness of his individual deeds, is a man whose nobility is on Olympus. And that is true success.