Ander Mirambell, who has been a four-time Olympian in skeleton, tells me:

–Irina is going crazy these days. She goes from training to competition, without time for anything. But she will surely take a minute to attend to you.

Irina is Irina Rodríguez (46), Ander Mirambell’s partner. She has an Olympic silver in artistic swimming (Beijing 2008). She has been traveling the world for eight years, advising Argentine, Mexican, American and Chilean artistic swimming. She now takes her to Colombia.

And Colombia, in these Doha World Cups, has already added two podiums (the two bronzes by Gustavo Sánchez in free solo and technical solo), the likes of which have never been seen in those parts.

–Come on, now our swimmers are warming up and I have a moment for you – Irina Rodríguez answers me via WhatsApp.

So I hurry, lest I miss it.

I ask him:

–What is happening with art in Latin America? Specialists emerge in multiple countries, they shine in many finals.

–They are countries with enormous sporting potential whose federations, small in proportion to giants like China, are already working hard. The thing is that their budgets are limited. Before coming to Doha, I wanted to bring the Colombian delegation to Barcelona to concentrate for a couple of weeks, but that was not possible.

–And how did you get there?

–In 2016 they called me from Argentina and Colombia. I was combining both projects. Already then I met Gustavo Sánchez and Jennifer Cerquera (the best Colombian female specialist, also present in Doha). In those years I traveled to more countries. They were small federations but with dreams. Last year, Colombia hired me as an advisor for the entire discipline. I have stayed with her.

–And how is the family organized? You and Ander have a four-year-old boy (Kai)…

–So far, Kai has traveled a lot around the world. Now we prioritize him going to school. It is a puzzle that we must solve every day.

–You, with Colombia; Anna Tarrés, with Israel, China and Greece; Esther Jaumà, with the Netherlands; Andres Fuentes, with the United States; Paula Klamburg, with Australia…

–We were the first generation of Spaniards who left their mark. We were an innovative team in a country with few licenses (300), we came out of nowhere. I suppose that, given these elements, regions like Latin America have understood that growth can be achieved. And that’s why they try to absorb our knowledge.