Irribarria announces that he will say goodbye to professional baseball on March 4
Euskaraz irakurri: Irribarriak iragarri duenez, martxoaren 4an utziko dio pilotan profesionalki jokatzeari
the pelotari Iker Irribarria (Arama, 1996), double Manomanista champion, has confirmed his retirement from professional hand ball at the age of 26 due to an injury to his right knee that he underwent surgery on two years ago. As he has advanced himself irribarria will be next”March 4” when you leave professional practice
This was announced by the Gipuzkoan at a press conference that took place in Eibar, in which he was accompanied by Fernando Vidartesole administrator of the company Aspeand Errandonea Inaxiocommercial director of the Eibar promoter to which the Arama striker belongs.
Irribarria has not detailed the diagnosis of the injury, but he has stressed that, after consulting “the best professionals” doctors, “all” have recommended that “put the piston down and leave the sport at this level” because it has “lots of limitations“.
“If I didn’t have pain or thought I could keep going, I would keep going.. But the pain has persisted for many days, you see that little by little everything is getting worse and that the time has come. There have been hard moments, especially when you’re alone at home, but I know it’s the best for me and I’m calm,” he admitted.
The one who in 2016 was proclaimed the youngest champion of the Manomanista at the age of 19, the great championship of the ball, admitted feeling “very sad“of having been forced to make this decision, among other things, because “being able to live off the ball is for a privileged few and it’s a shame to lose that privilege.”
“The txapelas are there, but what I have liked the most in these years have been the teammates. That is not paid with money or with victories. You live very well as a pelotari. I really liked having that company atmosphere every day and losing it is going to be hard to assimilate“, he confessed.
for his part vidarte announced that Aspe has organized a farewell festival for irribarria on March 4 in the pediment Atano III of San Sebastian in which the man from Arama will play alongside Jose Javier Zabaleta versus Jokin Altuna and Julen Martija.
“This setback has cut short the career of a pelotari with fantastic potential and who magnifies the ball“he stressed vidarte before wishing “a great future personally and professionally” to the striker.
irribarria He has been supported by many pelotaris, both from the Aspe team and from Baiko. Among others, Jokin Altuna and unai laso They have shown their sadness at the withdrawal of the aramarra.
Iker Irribarria debuted in the highest category on March 22, 2015 at the Astelena pediment in Eibar with only 18 yearsand after a year he had already made his first txapela as a professional pelotari with his powerful left foot as a travel companion. Thus, on May 29, 2016, at 19 years of agemade history by becoming the Youngest pelotari to succeed in the Individual Ball Championship. HE saw the faces with the striker from Zaratamo Mikel Urrutikoetxea who won 22-13 in the final played at the Frontón Bizkaia.
Hand in hand specialisthis favorite modality in which He has reached the final three times, being victorious on two of them. In this way, in addition to the aforementioned, he also played the finals of 2017 and 2019. In the 2017 edition he could not repeat the success of the previous campaign, since he had to lose to Oinatz Bengoetxea (22-18)in a match in which both pelotaris offered a great show. He had to wait two years, specifically until June 9, 2019, to get crowned for the second time in the individual competitionagain before urrutikoetxeain a duel that turned out to be very tough and balanced (22-20).
Despite being gifted for individual competition on the entire pitch (the results achieved at 4 y Medio have not been as brilliant), he has also obtained excellent results in the Couples Championship, since he has played the final twice. The first one was in 2017, forming a duo with Beñat Rezusta, in which defeated Oinatz Bengoetxea and Mikel Larunbe (22-14). In this way, by the time he turned 21 he already had two txapelas from Manomanista and Parejas to his credit.
In 2019 he got the second opportunity to increase his record with a new victory in the Couples, but on that occasion had to settle for runner-up. Forming a pair with Jose Javier Zabaleta had to give in to Elezkano II and Rezusta (22-19).
Source: Eitb
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