The canoeist Juan Carlos López Villalobos, a prestigious paddler for his national and international titles, has been found dead in his van near the rowing centre in Tui (Pontevedra). The paddler, originally from Palencia, was 65 years old and died of natural causes, as confirmed by the Government subdelegation in Castilla y León. The man was president of the Tritones de Alar del Rey club (Palencia) and had participated on 24 August in the Descent of the Miño River. The Civil Guard had been looking for him for several days after his family alerted him about the absence of the athlete. No signs of violence have been found in the vehicle in which he was found and where he rested when travelling to competitions such as this one.
The Civil Guard learned of the disappearance of the veteran canoeist when the man’s relatives alerted that they had not heard from him for several days. The agents were deployed in the vicinity of this Galician canoeing centre until López Villalobos’ van was located. The high national and international status of the event meant a greater presence of the public in the surroundings of these towns in Pontevedra. The agents who found the canoeist’s van had to break one of the windows, as the vehicle had been locked from the inside. Upon entering the interior they saw the body of Juan Carlos López Villalobos, although, pending the autopsy, no signs of violence have been found on the athlete.
The president of the Tritones del Pisuerga association, Fernando Delgado, has indicated to The Palentino Diary The last thing he heard from his friend and companion: “He had recently been in Pontevedra, where he won the Spanish Marathon Championship and also participated in the National River Descent Championship in Tui. We had spoken on the phone, but on Monday, after calling him early, he didn’t answer. We contacted his family and friends and even filed a complaint until this afternoon the Civil Guard called us to tell us that he had been found dead inside his van.”
The veteran canoeist, nicknamed ‘El tritón del Pisuerga’ (The Triton of the Pisuerga) in honour of the river that runs through his native Alar del Rey, had an important track record in this discipline, where he had also worked as a coach and as a manager. López Villalobos particularly stood out in the downhill, although he recently went to the Miño river. The canoeist, originally from Palencia, won the gold medal in the 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2017 World Championships, as well as the 2006 World Cup and another gold medal in the 2007 European Championship. Among his Spanish events was the triumph in 1994 in the international descent of the Sella River, in the K2 discipline, a renowned victory in a competition where prestigious national and foreign figures participate. He also reigned eight times in the descent of the Pisuerga River.
The Spanish Canoe Federation has expressed its condolences through the social network X: “The RFEP regrets the death of Juan Carlos López Villalobos, winner of the 1994 International Sella Descent. Its president, Board of Directors and the world of Spanish canoeing wish to send a warm hug to family and friends. Rest in peace.”
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