The president of the Superior Sports Council (CSD), Miguel Cardenal, said on Monday that the Spanish women's basketball team "is a gift" for national sports, referring to the bronze medal won by the players trained by Lucas Mondelo in the recent Eurobasket in Hungary and Romania.
"This team is a gift for Spanish sports. Nine victories out of 10 is outstanding. And they have already won seven medals in the last eight championships," Cardenal recalled during the reception held for the team at the CSD headquarters in Madrid.
The leader also praised the success of the Spanish team. "You have turned this country upside down and you have the right to celebrate," Cardenal told the players regarding their bronze medal, achieved after their latest victory against Belarus.
"Following women's sports is a conviction of Spanish society, as we saw with the excellent ratings on Teledeporte. That is why I would like to thank everyone who made it possible," added the Secretary of State for Sports about the media coverage of the continental tournament.
Therefore, Cardenal wanted to thank "Lucas Mondelo and his coaching staff," as well as "team captain Laia Palau and the rest of the team," and above all, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) "for taking women's sports seriously because that is of paramount value".
And in light of that, he took the opportunity to acknowledge the work of Ana Muñoz, the general director of the CSD, who has helped "make taking women's sports seriously a reality."
Mondelo: "Staying on top seems easy but it's not"
The Spanish women's basketball coach, Lucas Mondelo, said on Monday that "staying on top" in European basketball "seems easy but it's not," referring to the bronze medal won by his team in the recent Eurobasket in Hungary and Romania.
"Staying on top seems easy but it's not. Being a team is something that we have learned from the Spanish Basketball Federation. And I would like to thank the girls, who are the protagonists and who make this epic and beautiful," Mondelo said during the reception held for the team at the CSD headquarters in Madrid.
The coach also took the time to praise the media coverage of the continental tournament, as well as the success of his players. "The press coverage gave us a lot of encouragement at each stage of the championship, which I assure you was very difficult," he insisted in front of the media.
Meanwhile, point guard Laia Palau described her joy at the bronze medal won after their latest victory against Belarus. "We competed like wild beasts," she told CSD President Miguel Cardenal shortly after arriving in the capital of Spain.
"We competed very well. We are super proud because it is not easy to do what we do," persevered the team captain in the presence of Cardenal and the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), José Luis Sáez.
Palau, a crucial player in Mondelo's system throughout the Eurobasket, continued to praise the bond formed with her teammates. "We are like a family, it is a pleasure to play on this team and we hope to continue bringing medals to this country," the player concluded.