"There has been a change in me, this injury has marked a before and after"

Interview with Ariane Ochoa, one of the most successful young athletes in Europe in recent years, who has been away from competition due to a knee injury that has kept her out of the water for 10 months now. She has not lost her optimism and is working hard to return


October 15, 2018
|EN Recent
|POR Pablo Zanocchi

Ariane Ochoa had an impeccable career as a junior, she was European vice-champion in 2016, top 10 of the ISA the same year and placed third in the WSL world championship in January 2017. As if that were not enough, as a junior she was top 50 in the QS.

In December 2016, at the Junior Euros in Morocco, she felt discomfort in her knee, which marked the beginning of a slow process of first finding a correct diagnosis and then the corresponding treatment.

She competed in the 2017 QS with discomfort and finished 69th, taking part in 12 events and even reaching a final. In 2018, the reality was completely different, stopping almost completely after competing in the QS in the Canary Islands at the beginning of February.

The diagnosis was that it was a synovial ligament in the knee, a somewhat rare ailment that took her to the operating room, physiotherapy and a very patient process that the surfer is still carrying out with great optimism and tranquility, highlighting the good things about stopping for a while.

The Americas Pro in Tenerife, the last QS event in which the Etxebarri surfer competed. All photos: WSL
Ariane was European vice-champion in 2016, top 10 in the ISA and placed third in the WSL world championship in January 2017. As if that were not enough, while still a junior she was top 50 in the QS.

This is what Ariane Ochoa told DUKE about her departure from the courts.

We know you were injured, but what exactly happened?
It was a knee injury that is rare, very painful and comes from a part of the body from birth. There are people who never develop it and others who do, there are even people who have this factor but it bothers them and others do. It causes a lot of discomfort in the knee.

How did you find out, when and how did you feel about it? You had an impeccable youth career.
The truth is that it has been a very progressive injury. There is no exact moment or date, but I do remember that it started at my last European Junior Championship in Morocco. It was from one day to the next that I started to notice discomfort in my knees, so it is true that the process has been intermittent. It has stopped bothering me and then it started bothering me again. It is a bit strange because there is no exact moment, but it is more progressive. The most complicated thing about this injury has been getting a good diagnosis since it is a rare injury and in the end my recovery period was longer.

What were the good parts, if any, of being away from the water?
When you love a sport, in my case surfing and the sea, it is very hard not to be able to do it from one day to the next. But it is true that there has been a change in me, this injury has marked a before and after. I think that when an athlete is injured, they have two ways of dealing with it, either positively or negatively, and it is clear that throughout the process there are very hard moments. You cannot always be so positive and energetic because there are many patches that you have to overcome, being positive will help a lot in the recovery process. So I decided to take that path.

The hardest thing for me was the subject I mentioned earlier. The diagnosis was a bit frustrating not knowing an exact diagnosis because, although I really wanted to overcome the injury, I also didn't know exactly how I could start to face it and work on it.

It has made me mature a lot as an athlete, become more professional, listen, learn to listen to my own body. Make me stronger and above all give me another vision of the sport I am doing, why I am doing it and that has led me to have even clearer my objectives, my work method, know the shortcomings I have and grow as an athlete and a person. I think it makes you mature quite quickly as an athlete.

You have a lot of time to think during an injury, so I think it's good, it depends on how you want to see it. Having a moment of reflection with yourself, clearing your ideas because many times we are competing, many times at home, other times away, I was stuck in a loop that in the end makes you lose vision or why you are there... It's a respite to recharge your energy.

Then, it has made me value what I have much more, appreciate even the everyday things that with an injury you can no longer do and see how important they are and how happy they make you. Above all, when your health fails you, it is difficult to enjoy and be happy, so it makes you value and rethink things, take better care of yourself in many aspects. Reflecting on my injury, I would take all the positives.

When are you returning to the water and what are your plans for doing so?
My return to the water will be very careful, enjoying the process of the moment, listening to the people who know, and relying on the people around me as well. Everything strictly. Being patient, knowing where I am, where I want to get to and in each step I take knowing what I have to do at each moment and listening to my body. That is the most important thing in the end. The one that will give me the most important information is my body.

I am a person who has clear objectives, both before and after I got injured, now I have them clearer. So I will continue to push myself on the world circuit to reach my main objective, which would be to enter the CT and watch the Tokyo 2020 games. That in the long term, in the short term it will be to gain confidence by putting into practice everything I have learned, getting good results, getting back to my 100% and giving my best version and continuing to enjoy what I do, like the competition, which is something I am passionate about and I have missed it a lot. I already miss it.

As a reflection, during this process I have also realized how important the people around you are, and the people who really matter. Those who are close to you in good and bad times. Throughout the rehabilitation process, in sports, those you meet along the way who are willing to help you.

I have met incredible people and thanks to them I have always remained positive and eager to get back to 100% and be healthy. For me it has been a blessing. Friends, family who have been there at all times and my sponsors. The support is incredible, it is the most important thing when overcoming an injury.

As for dates, I don't have a date, but when we talk about the body, the body rules. It's day to day and when I see that I'm ready to give 100% again, that's when I'll be there.

"When you love a sport, in my case surfing and the sea, it is very hard not to be able to do the sport you love the most from one day to the next," says Ariane.
"It has made me mature a lot as an athlete, become more professional, listen, learn to listen to my own body. Make me stronger and above all give me another vision about the sport I am doing, why I am doing it and that has led me to have my objectives even clearer," adds the surfer.

Comments:

Ariane Ochoa Spain Injury Recommended Knee