He was born in the Ortzaika district of Orihuela (his father was from Pasajes de San Juan) on 25 April 1949. Although he started working at sea as a fisherman at the age of 14, he did not last long.
He went on to win the Spanish championship 10 times in a row in the individual mode of the mobile bank (skiff). There were years in which, immediately after winning in this boat, he entered the eight with helmsman and won the gold medal at state level. He took part in several world championships: eighth in Copenhagen (1971) in skiff, fourth in 1977 (Amsterdam) in four sculls (with two oars). He took part in the Moscow Olympic Games (1980) in the double sculls together with Oyarzabal, also from Guipuzcoa, winning the small final.
He won 8 consecutive years (1975-82) in the Spanish trainerilla championship with Kaiku. Six times in the queen trawler modality, three times with Orio and as many times with Kaiku. He won the Concha flag in 1970, 71, 72 (Orio), 74 (Lasarte-Michelin), 78, 80, 81, 82 (Kaiku), 92, 96, 97 (Orio) and Castro Urdiales (twice as coach).
As a coach, he managed to make Orio's eight with helmsman the Spanish champion for 9 consecutive years (1994-2002).
His temperament and restless personality made him change clubs many times: Orio, Lasarte-Michelin, Kaiku, Zirbena, Orio, Castro Urdiales, Isuntza de Lekeitio, Kaiku...
Since he joined the Kaiku club in Sestao (1976), he has been the first rower-coach in the Basque Country to make a professional living from rowing. He has been, in all probability, the most popular rowing man even outside the rowing world, and has participated as a protagonist in several programmes and series of the Basque television ETB.
Luis Mari ZULAIKA ISASTI (2007)
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