The 24th UCAM Sports Gala, held on Thursday at the Temple of the Monastery of Los Jerónimos, celebrated the achievements of UCAM athletes, consolidating our position as a benchmark for university sport in Europe. Chaired by María Dolores García, UCAM President, and Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, the event was a celebration of the UCAM's unwavering commitment to sport, bringing together around 800 attendees, including elite athletes, coaches, authorities and members of the university community.

Recognising the best of 2024

One of the key moments was the award ceremony for the best UCAM athletes, with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic champions standing out among them. María Pérez, with a gold and silver medal in race walking, and Sergio Garrote, double Paralympic champion in cycling, were awarded as the best athletes of the year.

The award for Best Team went to UCAM Murcia CB, whose bronze medal in the Basketball Champions League and historic runner-up finish in the Endesa League marked a milestone in Spanish basketball. In addition, coaches José Antonio Carrillo, coach of Álvaro Martín (double medallist in Paris), and Sito Alonso, of the basketball team, shared the award for Best Coach of the year.

The gala also paid an emotional tribute to the athletes who won medals and diplomas at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. UCAM, a leading university in these events, congratulated an impressive number of 15 medallists and 33 diplomas. Among the recipients were illustrious names such as Saúl Craviotto, who was given special recognition as the greatest Spanish Olympic medallist of all time, accompanied by David Cal, his predecessor in that title and current member of the UCAM Sports Service.

Legends of sport, heroes of the present and young talents gathered at an incomparable gala

Beyond the Paris Games, UCAM athletes have completed a spectacular year with great successes that have also been recognised, such as Ana Carrasco's recent world championship in motorcycling, or María Xiao's two medals at the European Table Tennis Championships. Furthermore, sport clubs were awarded distinctions, such as UCAM Cartagena Tenis de Mesa, which won the Table Tennis League and Cup, and UCAM Esports, which continues to stand out on the e-sports arena with its double university title and its runner-up position in the Valorant professional league.

Another emotional moment of the evening was the tribute to five UCAM athletes with impeccable careers: Mireia Belmonte, Lydia Valentín, Juanma Molina, Antonio Peñalver, Liliana Fernández and Damián Quintero, who received their awards from Jennifer Pareja, former water polo player and current Director of the Programme of the National Olympic Sports Association. Special recognition was also given to the UCAM athletes with the most participations in the Games: Teresa Portela (seven Olympic Games) and José Manuel Ruiz (eight Paralympic Games). 

This gala not only celebrated the triumphs of elite athletes, but also paid tribute to achievements in different categories, reflecting the breadth of the UCAM commitment to sport. Athletes competing in the Spanish University Championships were recognised for their impressive performances, as UCAM topped the medal table for the thirteenth consecutive year with 101 gold medals of a total 146 medals.

The Deputy Director of Marca, Gerardo Riquelme, accepted the recognition given to this newspaper ‘for its commitment to the dissemination of science in the field of sport’. 

The UCAM - Spanish Olympic Committee alliance

One of the cornerstones of the commitment of UCAM to sport has been its close collaboration with the Spanish Olympic Committee, a relationship that has led to countless successes for the athletes who are part of this university. In their speeches, both María Dolores García and Alejandro Blanco highlighted the importance of this alliance.

The UCAM President underlined the great work carried out by the Spanish Olympic Committee in preparing the Spanish team for Paris 24 and reminded the audience that the whole world now expects great results from the athletes of the Universidad Católica de Murcia: ‘In the eyes of the whole world, the successes of UCAM athletes at the Olympic Games are no longer a surprise, but a reference’. Meanwhile, Alejandro Blanco highlighted the prestige of UCAM in the international sporting arena, stating that ‘there is no other university in the world that can unite the sporting and human talent that we have gathered here today in the same event’.

The future of UCAM sport

The 24th UCAM Sports Gala has not only served as a tribute to the most recent achievements, but also as a platform to look to the future. UCAM, which continues to consolidate its position as a benchmark in the training of top-level athletes, reasserted its commitment to continue supporting young talent. President María Dolores García recalled the legacy of her husband, José Luis Mendoza, founder of the University, who promoted this model of support for sport, ensuring that UCAM will continue to be the cradle of great athletes. With their sights set on future sporting events and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, UCAM athletes are already in full preparation to continue reaping success.

The event concluded on a festive note, as the UCAM sports community sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in honour of President María Dolores García, whose leadership has been instrumental in continuing her husband's dream of making UCAM an exemplary university in sport.