The trainings of professional athletes have been put on a hold in majority of the countries as they went into a lockdown over Coronairus fight. But some of paddlers in Europe and other non-European countries have now switched from their sports roles to the jobs they have been educated for. Many of them are doctors, paramedics, police officers, fire fighters etc. Among them are some of the Spanish top paddlers.
The biggest canoeing star working to help in Coronavirus times is Saul Craviotto who returned to the uniform and is patrolling the streets of Gijon. He is a part of the Prevention and Reaction Unit of National Police in the Asturias, Spain.
“I returned to my work in the face of the need of the situation we live in. I do the usual tasks with my partner. We control traffic a little bit and as it is logical in the moment we ask people for the reason of their displacement,” said Craviotto who was relieved of his patrol duties in 2017, but continued to work for the police in prevention and citizen awareness campaigns, giving talks in schools about drugs, alcohol and bullying.
Similarly, Craviotto’s K4 teammate Carlos Arevalo returned to uniform of the Prince of Infantry Regiment. “We are prepared to defend the country from any problem and unfortunately in the worst situations. Although the coronavirus is not a physical enemy, it must also befought against,” said Carlos, Galician paddler who now lives in Asturias. “In Gijon, Craviotto, Rodrigo Germade and I live 500 meters apart, but we don't see each other. Marcus Cooper went to Mallorca with the family. Of course, every day we are in contact by Watsapp and Miguel García checks our routines. Now it is essential not to lose the aerobic part, because strength and speed recover soon ... and not to gain weight,” added Arevalo.
The third paddler who put on the uniform in Asturias is Walter Bouzan who is a fire fighter in Oviedo. Multiple medallist of World and European Canoe Marathon Championships has been diagnosed with Covid-19 himself and now when he’s recovered he returned to active duty. He said that he lived through the situation quite calmly and only had mild symptoms, so he was not afraid. “I thought, it needs to pass,” he said.
Sources: https://elpais.com/deportes/2020-04-02/saul-craviotto-de-abanderado-a-patrullar-las-calles-de-gijon.html; https://as.com/masdeporte/2020/04/17/polideportivo/1587143955_251522.html; https://www.eurosport.es/piraguismo/walter-bouzan-piraguista-y-bombero-hay-que-agarrarse-a-lo-positivo_sto7726208/story.shtml