26th Descent of the Sella
Two important new elements appeared in the 1962 edition. First, the Union of Asturian Mayors was created, allowing each municipality to send an official representative to the race, strengthening its institutional and festive character.
A new tradition also began: dedicating each edition to an Asturian town, which over time led to today’s well-known twinnings with other rivers and communities, fostering cultural and tourism ties.
Another innovation was the creation of the “novias del Sella” (Brides of the Sella), each representing a participating club. These “brides” joined the traditional parade, and their selection was by popular vote: all passengers on the Sella River Train could vote, depositing their ballots in Llovio.
International participation expanded with the first entries from the USA and Finland. The winners were the Gijón pair Joaquín Tuya and Luis García Blanco, with a time of 1 hour, 27 minutes, 51.22 seconds. Just 50 hundredths later came the Norwegian pair H. Meen and O. Meen, making for an extremely close and thrilling finish.
tag: international descent of the river sella 1962
