The sweet charm of "foilear" in the Perito Moreno glacier: Yago Lange, the love for water and its crusade to create ecological awareness

Yago Lange grew up practically on ships and inherited the passion for the nautical of his dad Santiago, triple Olympic medalist.As a high -performance athlete, among others, the silver medal at the 2019 Lima Pan American Games and was seventh in the 2016 Rio Olympic event, along with his brother Klaus, in Class 49.Water was always an important part of his life.But today is your main priority.Because some years ago they "opened her eyes", as he himself tells in a talk with Clarín, and today he is away from the competition and focuses all his energy in working, raising awareness and communicating about the importance of environmental care.

"I realized that if I am going to enjoy the water and navigate it, I also have to be responsible for caring for it," says Lange, 33, who a few days ago lived the most challenging and exciting adventure of his new life as an environmentalist: he sailedThe waters of the Argentine lake in front of one of the most imposing natural scenarios in our country, the expert glacier Moreno.

"This experience changed my life, it was a very special navigation for me.When I first saw the glacier I was surprised, because it is huge.Being in the water, feeling its energy and sizing its value, I felt a responsibility to convey this story, which is not mine, but has to transcend and capture people's attention to help connect to water andglaciers and be aware of how important they are for us, "he reflected.

Before throwing into the water, Yago spent several days touring the catwalks that allow observing the glacier from the earth to plan in detail navigation.Finally, on Saturday, January 15, very early, wrapped in a thick neoprene suit to protect from the cold, he faced the immensity of the Moreno expert with his table and his candle of Wing Foil, a navigation discipline that combines elements of the surfing, the windsurfand the Kitesurf.And it became the first in history in "foilear" in front of that colossal ice mass.

The adventure - which carried out in collaboration with national parks (needed a special permit to navigate in that place) and with the support of Parley, an NGO that works on the protection of the oceans and of which he is the world ambassador - was the brooch wasGold of a trip through Patagonia, in which he toured different places, discovered and foileó in different lakes and enjoyed the natural landscapes.

"Argentina is a very powerful country in natural resources and we have to take care of it.I think we do not dimension how important the earth, air and water for our lives are.We need to be healthy, we need careful marine ecosystems, oceans free of plastics and that glaciers are maintained.Because glaciers water represents 75 percent of the fresh water on the planet.And if in some way my voice helps to have greater knowledge and greater care, that is my goal, "he says.

-How did the idea of navigating in front of the expert Moreno arose?

-I had been making some environmental trips linked to cleaning and education, always in relation to water, and had been fascinated by landscapes.Last year I began to practice Wing Fail, which allows me to access anywhere, because I go alone with my table and my candle.I started dreaming of which destinations from Argentina could navigate to link them to my environmental message and quickly emerged the idea of the expert Moreno.Many times we see the glacier as something wonderful, but far away.But we are more connected than we think.I visit the dumps a lot, which emanate methane gas, which in turn generates a problem in climate change that is harming the melting of glaciers.And it's not just that: the heat wave last week, fires in Patagonia and other parts of the country, oil companies trying to settle in Mar del Plata...Environmentally we are living a moment of utmost severity and taking charge and learning is extremely important.

-Did you surprise the great impact that the adventure had?

-I didn't have a dimension of the impact he could have, sincerely.I am surprised by the amount of messages, both on social networks and at the private level.Imagine that even Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, gave "like" the publication.They shared it around the world, they continue to call me journalists from other countries, they wrote me medalists from the last Olympic Games congratulating me and asking how they could help, which made me very happy.This story transcended the nautical.And all that dimensions the interest today in the environmental theme.We need a solution of all, it is not the problem of someone in particular.

-Do you projected any other similar adventure for the rest of the year?

-I think you have to spread the information of the glaciers and the ice and how that affects that in the water and in us.I am developing a project to go to Antarctica, which is my dream, and other places in protected areas of Argentina, to make them visible, talk about them and care for them and care for them.It is the challenge for 2022: use my platform and my voice to tell what I am learning and living, inspire other people and continue collaborating in the environment.

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A change of life

Lange always had a special connection with water."As a boy I lived with my family on a ship.And I have many memories bathing in the river.That remained very much to leather to this day.I always sought to have a simple life, very connected to nature, "he says.But it was only at the end of 2018 when it really became aware of the seriousness of the pollution problem.

"In my last experiences in the Río de la Plata, when I set foot in the water to throw the ship was surrounded by garbage.It was not pleasant, "he says."I always see that when a football, tennis or rugby player are interviewed on the courts where they play, they comment on how beautiful those places are.I can't speak that way, because most of the waters that I sail are contaminated.That is why, in December of that year, I organized my first cleaning and since then I committed myself ".

Yago summoned through social networks the nautical community to clean a sector of the Río de la Plata in the province of Buenos Aires near the nautical San Isidro, its lifelong club."He had very little followers, but in three days 25 clubs from all over the country had done the same.My life changed at that time.And keep changing positively, "he says.

After that first action, its commitment was growing more and more.To this point, that the classification to the Tokyo Olympic Games, whom he aspired to arrive with his brother Klaus to compete, as he had done in Rio, in Class 49er.

"I lost the opportunity to go to Tokyo because I distracted me in my environmental path, proposing cleanings and talks and diminished my amount of training hours.I was a little sad about that, the truth.But I am very happy in this new path and very convinced of what I am doing.I am lucky to take care of the water and take charge and transmit all my experience so that others understand that we have to take care of it.Water is life, it's the truth.And we need it healthy, "he says.

Focused on his new environment of environmentalist, Lange continued to organize cleaning in 2019, both in Argentina and South America and in other parts of the world, taking advantage of his trips to compete, in which he added to his colleagues and rivals.In addition, he began working in schools with environmental projects.

"From talks to educate boys to theme development not only of water, but also of the waste, of environmental issues linked to Argentina.In the last two years, more than 20 thousand boys participated in the talks I give.I prepared this navigation project I prepared it rightly with a group of boys in a class, "he explains.

"I also continue with the cleaning.And together we design solutions, some very simple, such as changing those bottles that you use and throw for other reusable, separate waste, approach the compost...I also linked to the garden.Because it's not just about cleaning, but also incorporating those simple and individual habits, "he says.

-Your high performance race is finished or did you put it in pause?

-I would say that neither closed nor pause.I am open to all the opportunities that appear, because I love sport and navigate.But today I am enjoying what I do and my priority is to take care of the place in the competes, which is the water.As a child I could enjoy my sport a lot and I am worried that the people who want to approach now cannot do it for pollution.I want this place to be healthy so that we can all enjoy it.As a athlete, during all the hours I invested in learning to navigate, I never trained environmentally and it is something that I propose today in the clubs, the little ones, in the schools and to my competitors.That is 'Che, let's learn from this, because we have to know to protect'.

To the initiatives that have been carrying out since 2018, Lange added one more in recent months, incorporating navigation, its great passion.

"My role as athlete is enjoying water, with which I have such a strong link.And to be able to navigate and at the same time doing an environmental action is something very positive.Last year I kept many of the actions I did, I didn't tell them.But this year I want to communicate more.There are many people who have the same desire as me and I hope to inspire them, "he reflects."We are facing severe climatic emergency.And this is everyone's responsibility.There is much to do and in my case, I am trying ".