Canoeist Juan Carlos Lopez Villalobos’ body found in his van in Pontevedra | Sport
Canoeist Juan Carlos López Villalobos, a prestigious canoeist with national and international titles, was found dead in his van near the Tui Canoe Centre (Pontevedra). The canoeist, originally from Palencia, was 65 years old and the first hypotheses about the cause of his death point to natural causes. The man was president of the Tritones club in Alar del Rey (Palencia) and had taken part in a race on the Miño River on 24 August. The Civil Guard had been looking for him for several days after alerting his family to the athlete’s absence. The first investigations did not reveal any signs of violence in the vehicle in which he was found, where he had been resting while travelling to such competitions.
The Civil Guard learned of the veteran canoeist’s disappearance when his relatives alerted them that they had not heard from him for several days. The agents were in the vicinity of the Galician canoeing centre until López Villalobos’ van was discovered. The high national and international profile of the event meant that there was a greater public presence in the vicinity of these towns of Pontevedra. The agents who found the canoeist’s van had to enter by breaking one of the windows, as the vehicle was locked from the inside. Once inside, they saw the body of Juan Carlos López Villalobos, but so far, in the absence of autopsy evidence, no traces of violence have been found as possible causes for the athlete’s violence.
The president of the Tritones del Pisuerga association, Fernando Delgado, told El Diario Palentino the last he had heard of his partner and friend: “He was recently in Pontevedra, where he won the Spanish Marathon Championships and also competed in the National Marathon Championships. The river rafting in Tuy. We spoke on the phone, but on Monday, shortly after calling him, he did not answer. “We contacted his family and relatives and even filed a complaint until today, when the Civil Guard called us and said that he had been found dead in his van.”
The veteran canoeist, nicknamed the “Tritón de Pisuerga” after the river that runs through his home town of Alar del Rey, had a long history in the discipline, where he also worked as a coach and manager. He excelled particularly in the López Villalobos descent, but more recently he has moved on to the Miño River. The Palencia-born canoeist has won gold medals at the 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2017 World Championships, as well as the 2006 World Championships and another gold medal at the 2007 European Championships. Among Spanish competitions, he won the 1994 International Sella River Descent in the K2 discipline, a famous victory in a competition that attracts prestigious national and international figures. He has also reigned eight times on the lower Pisuerga.
The Spanish Canoe Federation expressed its condolences via social media. Its President, Board of Directors and the world of Spanish canoeing would like to send tender hugs to the family and friends. Rest in peace.”
The Civil Guard is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Palencian canoeist Juan Carlos López Villalobos, whose body appeared yesterday in a van in Tui (Pontevedra), where he had been participating in the International Descent of the Miño five days ago.
The alarm was raised, according to Civil Guard sources, by a neighbour who smelled a strong odour as he passed the van parked near the José Luis Méndez Municipal Rowing Centre. Civil Guard officers arrived at the scene and, after checking the number plate, discovered that the owner of the vehicle, a Mercedes van, had disappeared in Palencia.
The family reported the famous athlete from Palencia missing after they saw that he had not returned from a competition he was taking part in last Saturday, August 24. When they entered the van, the agents found a body in an advanced stage of decomposition, although there were no signs of violence, so it would have been a natural death.
However, given the condition of the body, the doctor on duty declined to declare the death natural and the remains were sent for an autopsy. According to the Civil Guard, the deceased took part in the traditional International Descent of Minho on August 24 and it is assumed that the man could have died on the same day.
Juan Carlos López Villalobos, 65, is a renowned athlete from Palencia, president of the Triton Club of Alar del Rey (Palencia), with numerous titles and gold, silver and bronze medals in national and international competitions. His achievements include gold medals in K-1 and K-2 at the World Championships in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2017; gold at the European Championship in 2007 and gold medal at the World Championship in 2006.
He also won the Spanish K-2 River Downhill Championship in 1995, 1996 and 1997; He was the overall winner of the K-2 International Sella Descent in 1994 and won the International Pisuerga Descent in his hometown of Alar del Rey eight times.
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