Bobsleigh, a winter sport conquered by Spaniards

Spain didn’t compete in bobsleigh at the last Winter Olympics, but Cortina d'Ampezzo, which also hosted the games 70 years ago, has become a special place for Spanish bobsleigh. In 1970 Spain won silver medals at the European Championships which by coincidence also took place in Cortina.

At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo the Spanish delegation consisted of ten male athletes who competed in three sports: alpine skiing, figure skating and bobsleigh, in which Spain had a real chance of winning medals.

The performance of the duo Alfonso de Portago and Antonio Sartorius, who finished fourth in the two-man bobsleigh category and earned an Olympic diploma, was revolutionary.

The story of Alfonso de Portago is intriguing. He is one of those people who are said to bridge cultures and do everything perfectly. His full name was Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Ángel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton. The 11th Marquis of Portago was a descendant of conquistadors, the grandson of the former mayor of Madrid and the godson of Alfonso XIII (thanks to the monarch's close relationship with his father). However, he is remembered not for his noble titles, but for his achievements as an athlete and a favourite of women.

Alfonso de Portago was born in London in 1928 to a Spanish father and Irish mother. He was multilingual, having grown up and studied in the United Kingdom and France (he spent time in Biarritz). Later Portago also divided his time between residences in France, the UK and Spain.

From an early age, Alfonso was interested in sports. He practised swimming, fencing, polo and horse riding. The boy was addicted to speed, adrenaline and danger. Unsurprisingly, at the age of 17, the marquis already broke the law to secretly fly a small plane over the Thames. It is reported that he managed to fly under Tower Bridge to win a £500 bet.

In 1956, Alfonso de Portago represented Spain at the Winter Olympics and achieved the best result ever achieved by Spaniards in Olympic bobsleigh.

A year later, he did everything he could to win a bronze medal at the World Bobsleigh Championships (in the doubles event alongside Luis Muñoz Cabrero).

In addition, Alfonso de Portago is considered a pioneer of Spanish motorsport. He competed in five Formula 1 Grand Prix races for the Scuderia Ferrari team, making his debut on 30 June 1956 in France.

He finished second in the 1956 British Grand Prix and fifth in the 1957 Argentine Grand Prix. He also competed in two 24 Hours of Le Mans races (1954 and 1956).

While in sport, Alfonso de Portago is remembered as a ‘gentleman driver’ and a fearless competitor, in life he was known as a man who drove women crazy. The marquis was married to model Carroll McDaniel, then had a relationship with model Dorian Leigh, and finally dated actress Linda Christian. It was Linda who approached the car during the 1957 races to kiss Alfonso. That was just moments before a fatal accident claimed the life of the aristocratic athlete.

Eugenio Baturone Ribas has just turned 85. Known as "Geni", he went down in bobsleigh history thanks to the silver medal he won at the 1970 European Bobsleigh Championships in the four-man event (together with José Cano, José Manuel Pérez, and Guillermo Rosal).

Eugenio Baturone Ribas was born in Malaga on 23 February 1941. His passion was speed and that’s why he started bobsleighing in the two-man and four-man categories.

Eugenio had the honour of participating in the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble, where he finished 17th in the two-man category and 18th in the four-man category.

Like Alfonso de Portago, Eugenio Baturone was both a bobsledder and a racing driver. In motorsport, he was one of the most important drivers of the 1970s.

Baturone became Spanish hillclimb champion in 1974 and 1976 and finished second in 1975 and 1977, driving a Brabham BT40 Formula 2 car for the prestigious Montjuich team. Although he spent most of his career outside Malaga, his Andalusian origins are documented by the Andalusian Olympic Foundation.

Today, Spanish bobsleigh is progressing thanks to a Canadian-born athlete. Born in Ottawa to a family from Colmenar Viejo near Madrid, Leanna Garcia competes with a Spanish passport and makes history.