Mireia Benito: “Going to the Olympic Games is very special, a goal that every athlete dreams of achieving”

Mireia Benito He is the star of one of the great stories that sport and Olympicism sometimes brings. This 27-year-old cyclist from Tarragona was a basketball player until an injury forced him to stop and therefore try cycling in search of rehabilitation. The pedals began to gradually become protagonists in his life to the point of bringing it to the Olympic Games a few years later.

“I came from nothing, I gradually made a career in cycling and I enjoyed it very much. I think that was one of the keys that got me to where I am today. There are people who start a sport and immediately excel, but that was not the case for me either. I had to work, improve every year and enjoy the journey, which I believe has been the main basis of my career, because maintaining fun has allowed me to take the necessary steps to get to where I am today,” explained Benito about his career.

This amazing process of Mireia Benito Special merit is needed if we add to this that his development as an athlete took place at the same time that he completed a degree in biotechnology and a subsequent master’s degree in molecular biology and biomedicine. “At first, the studies made it more difficult to dedicate myself fully and think about being a professional. Finishing my studies is something I am proud of. I think it’s something worth bet on , I don’t regret anything, since I think it’s good to have something else besides your sport,” he confessed.a cyclist from Llorenç del Penedès, who made one of his first appearances on a big stage during this period where he was still combining cycling and studying. At the 2019 Murcia Spanish Road Championship, almost new to the world of cycling, he won the bronze medal in the online event after spending the whole day escaping with Irene Mendezwith whom he found a good understanding only Lourdes Oyarbide can be dropped

Since the podium at the 2019 national championship, he never stopped growing as a cyclist until he made the step to a professional team, AG Insurance-Soudal, at the start of the 2023 season, where he was crowned the first Spanish time trial champion. “By managing my studies better, I was able to train better, started to focus more on the bike and my life was going towards it. When I signed the professional contract it was a big leap because in the beginning I didn’t I thought it was possible to make a living from cycling, neither in my house nor in my surroundings did anyone tell me that it was possible and with every step I take I see more dreams come true,” said a very happy Mireia Benito, that in just a few days the great dream of every athlete will come true: to compete in the wilderness Olympic Games.

In 2024, he revalidated his title as Spanish time trial champion and went up another step in other types of events, especially those with a more mountainous profile, earning him a call from national coach Gema Pascual for Paris 2024. “It’s an award for the work I’ve been doing for a long time, it’s something very special, a wonderful moment that every athlete hopes to achieve in their professional career,” he highlights 10 days after climbing the goat in the streets of the French capital.

He will debut on July 27 in the individual time trial

Mireia Benito will make her debut at the Olympic Games on Saturday, July 27, participating in the individual time trial, where she will find a completely flat 32.4 km route, starting from the Esplanade des Invalides and where she will try to show the his characteristics. as a wheeler. On Sunday, July 4, the second big challenge awaits in the online test, where he will be joined by Mavi García. Olympic medals for the route will be won on the 158 km route, which will consist of a large initial loop in the western part of the Paris region and will involve climbing six heights. After completing it, they will return to the city of Paris to face three laps of the decisive final urban circuit, where they will have to overcome the climb to Montmartre, 1 km at 6.5% average slope. “In the race we have to be smart, fight with what we have. Reading the race will be very important, being clear about what is going on and moving quickly. In the last edition it was already seen that a late reaction can cause failure in the race. It adds an additional point of interest and will require more concentration and attention if possible,” explains Benito in relation to the aspects he considers key for career development.

Eight days between the time trial and the online test that will change the reality of a dream that Mireia Benito will live in a special way by enjoying the presence of her loved ones who are with her in Paris. “Since it is so close, I will take advantage of it to have family and friends come and see me in Paris. I am very excited that they are there with me and I am really looking forward to it now,” confessed a runner who has just reached the highest level and still has great moments to live.