The archer, who lives in Arguineguín, was forced to abandon adapted archery due to the difficulties he encountered months after arriving in Gran Canaria.
Bad news for adaptive sports in Spain, and especially for the Canary Islands. Daniel Martín Anaya, a blind archer from Salamanca and resident in southern Gran Canaria, a leading figure in his sport, recently announced his retirement from high-level competition. And no, it wasn't due to a lack of talent or motivation, but rather something much more worrying: training in Gran Canaria has become a headache and a privilege that not all athletes can afford.
At Maspalomas24H we told his story a few months ago , shortly after he landed in the south of Gran Canaria with the hope of continuing to grow in his discipline and enjoying the benefits of the south of Gran Canaria.
Daniel is no ordinary athlete. With a trophy cabinet that includes seven Spanish championship titles and the honor of winning a gold medal at the 2021 European Championships and a bronze at the 2019 World Championships, held in the Netherlands, Daniel Martín Anaya has amply demonstrated his talent and ability to break barriers.
He arrived on the island looking for perfect training conditions, hoping that the privileged climate and sports facilities would help him stay among the elite. However, the reality has turned out to be very different.
Martín Anaya has had to give up his high-level career due to a combination of factors that have made it impossible for him to continue pursuing high-level sports: the rising cost of training, the lack of support, and the ordeal of navigating a congested GC-1 day after day. What was supposed to be a paradise for athletes has become another obstacle in his career. The cost of specialized equipment and the lack of financial support have done the rest.
In a statement , Daniel assured that his intention is not to abandon the sport in which he has won so many titles and in which he had expectations of continuing to compete at the highest level and representing Spain, but that the current conditions pose an insurmountable difficulty for him and his family.
Although Daniel is in love with Gran Canaria, its clubs (Dreamland Gran Canaria and UD Las Palmas) and the beaches in the south of the island, the difficulties he has encountered since his arrival have forced him to abandon his dream of continuing to compete at the highest level.
"I'll try to find a club closer to my home that's willing to coach me and that doesn't cost us so much," reads the final line of Daniel's statement, confirming that he will not give up in his quest to continue competing at the highest level and working to raise awareness of a discipline that requires as much effort and sacrifice as adaptive archery.
