Tenerife CajaCanarias Women Promoted to Top League, Men Solidify Elite Status

Tenerife CajaCanarias has finished a remarkably consistent season. Their women's team achieved a brilliant promotion to the top league, the Division of Honor, while the men's team solidified its place among Spain's elite athletics clubs. This means that next year, both the men's and women's teams will compete in the highest category. While not a first for the club, it confirms that their project is currently in a very strong and promising phase.

The women's team, after just missing out on promotion last season, finally made the jump to the top division. Meanwhile, the men's team had an excellent season, securing their spot among the country's best clubs. Club president Héctor González Galván summed it up: "If you told me both teams would be in the Division of Honor, competing with the best in the country next year, I'd say that's a huge success."

The CajaCanarias women's team gained their promotion after Celtíberas, a Division of Honor team, withdrew due to financial reasons. Federation rules then favored the Tenerife club. "We were surprised to discover we were the highest-ranked women's team eligible for the spot, so it became ours based on international scoring," explained the president. This turn of events rewarded the persistence of a carefully built project and a team that had come so close to promotion just a year before.

More than just the promotion itself, what's important is what it means. It confirms the progress of a young team full of potential. The club's top executive stated, "Our women's squad is very young and doesn't yet have the clear role models that the men's team does. But this higher level of competition will improve the team's overall standard and help them establish themselves among the country's best." For the club, this step up is both a reward and an investment in their future.

Moving to the elite league won't bring big travel challenges for the women's team. They already travel constantly, just like in the First Division, because league matches are never played at home. However, the competitive level will be much higher. The women's team will face Spanish athletics powerhouses such as Playas de Castellón and Valencia Terra i Mar. This will be a very demanding environment, but also an excellent opportunity for the Canarian athletes to keep developing.

While the women celebrated their promotion, the men's team confirmed their top-tier status. Their season was "excellent," according to the president, and for good reason. For the first time ever, Tenerife CajaCanarias won two rounds of the Division of Honor League.

"We reached the final with the most points possible from the early stages and competed very well," explained González Galván. He acknowledged that while they didn't win the title, the club proved it could compete equally with teams that have far greater resources.

Looking ahead to next season, the club has realistic goals. "We want both teams to finish the season securely in the Division of Honor, having earned their spots through their performance, not by a last-minute, tense outcome," he explained.

Few Spanish clubs can boast such a truly homegrown squad as Tenerife CajaCanarias. Most of their athletes were born or trained in the Canary Islands. However, this unique approach also brings challenges. González Galván admitted, "This model will only be sustainable as long as there are enough talented athletes in the Archipelago to reach the required level." The main issue isn't the amount of talent, but ensuring consistent coaching. The executive emphasized, "It's crucial to have coaches who can guide athletes' careers and help them reach their full potential."

In recent years, the club has seen key Tenerife athletics figures like Jonay Jordán, Simón Siverio, and Samuel García (who is still competing but nearing the end of his career) gradually move on. To ensure new talent comes through, the club works with a network of associated teams. These teams find and train young island prodigies. "They recruit athletes at an early stage, and as their performance improves, they can join the club's main teams," he clarified.

Despite this, the president acknowledged that the club's model needs to be reviewed annually. "We'll have to decide if it's best to keep it, or if, at some point, we would accept competing in the First Division. This is an ongoing discussion we'll have," he said.

The standout star of the Tenerife CajaCanarias season has been Jesús David Delgado. This Tenerife athlete, specializing in the 400-meter hurdles, has broken long-standing records and established himself among the best in Spanish and European athletics.

In 2025, Delgado twice broke the national 400-meter hurdles record, which had stood for nine years. He improved on the 48.87 time set by Sergio Fernández at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. First, he ran 48.60 in Soria during the final day of the Joma Club League, and then achieved 48.45 at the Czesława Cybulskiego Memorial in Poznań, Poland. His rapid improvement didn't surprise anyone at the club.

President Héctor González admitted, "We knew Jesús David had room to improve and could do better than he had before." This year, "he's been consistent, avoided injuries, and seized his chances." González Galván stressed, "I believe these two Spanish records must be a turning point for Jesús David, making him realize he can be among the best in Spain and Europe."

Despite his achievements, the island hurdler, who trains at the High Performance Center in San Cugat, Barcelona (where Samuel García also trains), "remains unchanged." His president observed, "No change in his attitude or behavior has been seen, despite everything he's accomplished." This humility, combined with an outstanding work ethic, likely explains why Delgado is set to become one of the great figures in Canarian sport.

The Canarian executive described him as a "natural talent," a raw diamond that has been shaped by countless hours of hard work. He explained, "No matter how much natural ability you have, if you don't work hard every day, results won't just happen."