Valeria Cilleruelo cruzó la meta en Gualeguaychú yuzzy carried the flag of Neuquén

Valeria Cilleruelo starts her day before most people in Neuquén have finished their first coffee, and she usually ends it much later. She teaches Physical Education at two schools, trains in a kayak throughout the year and raises Emma, her 12-year-old daughter, on her own. The routine is demanding, and she has learned to organize her life around it for years. When the 2025 World Kayak Championship came to Gualeguaychú, she had a particularly important goal: finally compete in a world event she had earned her place in.

The 44-year-old athlete had already qualified for two previous world championships, but the cost of traveling had always prevented her from participating. The problem was not a lack of commitment, but the absence of economic support to cover the trips and competition expenses. "Nunca pude ir a otros mundiales, no recibí nunca algún apoyo o alguna ayuda para poder viajar", she explained.

A world title after overcoming the biggest obstacle

This time, the championship was held in Argentina, and that made it possible for Valeria to take part. She traveled to Gualeguaychú in April for the national qualifier, finished first and secured her place in the World Championship. Months later, she returned to compete in both K1, the individual kayak, and K2, the two-person boat.

In K1, the nerves affected her from the start. She left the race behind the leading group and spent part of the route near the last positions. Instead of giving up, she began reducing the gap until she caught the athletes competing for third place. She crossed the line on the podium and took the bronze medal.

The gold medal came in K2, where she paddled alongside Victoria Sánchez, an athlete from Viedma. The two had never trained together before and became acquainted on the water on competition day. They managed to build an advantage over the rest of the field and crossed the finish line in first place.

“Para mí es una conexión única con la naturaleza, es mi cable a tierra. Es desconectarme totalmente del trabajo, de los problemas, del estrés diario.”Valeria Cilleruelo

A kayak, a school routine and a family life

Valeria's connection with paddling began at 18, when a neighbor invited her to go rowing during the summer. She did not know anything about canoeing and had never considered the sport before that first outing on the Limay River. But the experience was enough to change her plans. "Me encantó subirme a un bote, esa sensación de estar en el agua. Ese primer contacto fue lo que me motivó a seguir remando", she recalled.

Today, the river remains her reference point and a way to temporarily leave behind the demands of work and daily stress. In Neuquén, those demands include teaching at two schools and caring for Emma. The athlete has had to combine a demanding professional life with training and the costs of competition, resolving the journeys and expenses on her own for years.

The medal in Gualeguaychú therefore carries a meaning that goes beyond the result itself. It is the recognition of a career sustained in her own way, with effort and without the outside support she says she needed in previous years. It is also the confirmation of a bond with the water that began in adolescence and continues to shape her life.

• She is a Physical Education teacher at two schools in Neuquén.
• She is 44 years old and has been competing in canoeing for 26 years.
• She raises her 12-year-old daughter, Emma, alone.
• She won the K2 world title with Victoria Sánchez and took third place in K1.

For Valeria, the next challenge is to return to her routine with the same determination she brings to the water: keep training, keep working and keep moving forward with the people who accompany her. After years of making do, what she now expects is to keep competing and enjoy the sport that has given her a way to disconnect, reconnect with nature and find her own balance.