Sevan Matossian (00:01):
Pam, we’re live. Okay. An, am I saying your name right? Anai?
Aniol Ekai (00:06):
Yeah. Finally. You’re doing it right,
Sevan Matossian (00:08):
<laugh>. That we were, we were busting on you a little bit on this show here. Us, us Dirty Americans.
Aniol Ekai (00:16):
I know, I know, I know. I remember.
Sevan Matossian (00:19):
Uh, did someone tell you?
Aniol Ekai (00:21):
Oh, I heard it.
Sevan Matossian (00:22):
You heard it? Okay. I, I, yeah, I apologize. On behalf of myself and all of the, uh, all of the people who were busting on you, I thought after busting on you, I’m like, okay, I gotta meet this guy. Uh, Brian told me you were a good sport about it.
Aniol Ekai (00:36):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was, it was, uh, it was like, uh, one year ago when you were like, uh, after you open Uhhuh and you sent me, you called me like, anal. That was like
Sevan Matossian (00:46):
<laugh>. Oh, wow.
Aniol Ekai (00:47):
That’s, that’s like the first first time someone called me like that. So,
Sevan Matossian (00:51):
Hey, did you know, did you, you’re native, you’re, you’re, you’re a Spaniard. You’re, you’re from Spain.
Aniol Ekai (00:56):
Yeah. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (00:57):
Yeah. And, uh, so, um, Spanish obviously is your first language.
Aniol Ekai (01:02):
Yes, it is. Well, Catalan is, but Catalan is, but yeah.
Sevan Matossian (01:06):
Ca Catalan.
Aniol Ekai (01:07):
Yes.
Sevan Matossian (01:09):
Um, and shows, shows my, my ignorance, I apologize. But when, when you heard that we had called you anal, did you know what that word meant?
Aniol Ekai (01:17):
Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (01:18):
Oh, okay. <laugh>. Okay.
Aniol Ekai (01:21):
Like anal in, in, in, in Spanish. It’s, we don’t pronounce it the same way, but we, we write it the same way as you do
Sevan Matossian (01:28):
A N A L.
Aniol Ekai (01:30):
Yeah, exactly.
Sevan Matossian (01:31):
Okay. Well look at, uh, so someone already in the comments says, good sport. Good. Dude, I don’t think it would’ve gone so well if you were a woman wo women. Uh, well, I shouldn’t say that. Well, okay. I I’ll say
Aniol Ekai (01:43):
That. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (01:44):
I’ll say that. <laugh>, uh, men are, men are a little different in their humor. They’re a little rougher.
Aniol Ekai (01:50):
Yeah, I know.
Sevan Matossian (01:51):
Are you, uh, and, and what did your friends think? I heard your friends, uh, enjoyed the, the comedy.
Aniol Ekai (01:57):
Yeah. Yeah. All of us. We, we actually, we have a lot of fun, uh, uh, putting us, like, we all mess with each other. So that’s like, that’s like, you could be one of our also, so that’s good.
Sevan Matossian (02:08):
Perfect. Thank you. Hey. Um, well, where are you now, Aniel?
Aniol Ekai (02:12):
I’m actually, uh, just in the lobby of the hotel, uh, in Miami. So, uh, because, uh, the upstairs, the, at my room, it’s like so small, so I think it’s very to do it here.
Sevan Matossian (02:26):
Yeah. The audio is great. The audio
Aniol Ekai (02:28):
Is great. Yeah. I’m using like, the, the airports
Sevan Matossian (02:31):
And, and, and when airport, when did you get, um, when did you leave, uh, Spain to come to, uh,
Aniol Ekai (02:37):
Yesterday, actually. Well, yesterday, uh, we, we take the flight to, from Bba to Li [inaudible]. That was like at 6:00 AM Then we took this Libo to Miami at 10:00 AM And we get here like at two, no, at three, uh, 3:00 PM in, uh, local time. So that was, was like, actually like eight hour flight, eight hour flight from Lisbon. That was a long one. And so, yeah. From yesterday. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (03:08):
Um, where were, where’s your hometown? Where were you training?
Aniol Ekai (03:12):
Uh, I’m trained now in Sanas, uh, in, that’s in BA Country. Uh, that’s like, uh, a city in, in bash country. Not the biggest one, but the curious one actually. Uh, and we are training there, like the whole group of training culture. It’s like the, it’s like the headquarters of training culture. And we, all of us train there.
Sevan Matossian (03:34):
Okay. Um, t tell me where it is again. I, I’m, if I’m looking at this map, I know you’re looking on, are you looking on a phone right now? I’m sorry. It’s
Aniol Ekai (03:42):
So slow. Yeah, yeah. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay. Uh, so it’s, uh, you have to go like, far farther away. That’s Lisbon.
Sevan Matossian (03:48):
South or North?
Aniol Ekai (03:50):
North.
Sevan Matossian (03:51):
Okay.
Aniol Ekai (03:52):
That, that’s even not Spain. So you have to go farther away.
Sevan Matossian (03:56):
Ah, ah, where’s Liman? Oh, Lisbon’s, Portugal.
Aniol Ekai (03:59):
Okay. So go, go up. You see bba this place? No, BBA. You should, yeah. Bba. It’s, uh, the capital of Bash country. Okay. San Sebastian is a little bit on the right. Okay. You, you might see San Sebastian.
Sevan Matossian (04:11):
Yes.
Aniol Ekai (04:12):
So that’s, that’s the place. Okay. We actually, we live there in San Sebastian, but, or, or, uh, base team is in al that it’s like a small town.
Sevan Matossian (04:23):
Uh, spell it for me.
Aniol Ekai (04:24):
Uh, Al this is, uh, z uh, a You have it o over there. You see it? Oh,
Sevan Matossian (04:31):
Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay.
Aniol Ekai (04:33):
That’s, that’s where we train. And we live in Santa Bastin. That’s like a 15 minute, uh, road, uh, like car.
Sevan Matossian (04:41):
Give me in a nutshell, an, I’m sorry. I’m just so ignorant politically. Tell me the difference between Bass country and Spain.
Aniol Ekai (04:48):
Oh, it’s the same. I
Sevan Matossian (04:50):
Mean,
Aniol Ekai (04:50):
Same country, I mean, yeah. Yeah. We are, uh, we, uh, bash country. It’s like the, like the state, like you guys say in the States, like it, okay. It could be like California. So, uh, bus country is one, one state of the, of the, of Spain. We actually had like, uh, well, not now, but, uh, there’s, there’s been like, uh, some independent movements in, in Bask in Basque country also. So, uh, mo most of them, they don’t feel like Spaniards.
Sevan Matossian (05:19):
I, I think I re I remember that as a kid, there were some attempts for, um, the bass people to become independent. There was, and there were some pretty good sized riots and whatnot.
Aniol Ekai (05:27):
Yeah. There was, there was like a terrorist band, uh, years ago. It was called [inaudible]. And they, they, they actually killed a lot of people in Spain.
Sevan Matossian (05:36):
Hey, are are the Bask people and the Spanish people, like the, the, the Pakistani and the Indians? They’re, they’re are, are you guys basically the same people, but you’re, but you don’t wanna be, you don’t wanna be on the same team?
Aniol Ekai (05:48):
Uh, yeah. Or you, you, you can say that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sevan Matossian (05:52):
Okay. It’s kind of like that here, though. Like, if I go to Louisiana, they don’t seem anything like the people in California, they talk different. They have a different accent. They eat crawfish. Yes. We, we
Aniol Ekai (06:03):
Don’t, here in, in Spain, we have that, like, uh, the north of Spain is like really, really different to the south of Spain, like, uh, cultural culturally. And we spoke, we speak like really different. We actually, uh, in BA country, there’s this, uh, this language. It’s [inaudible]. I, I, I really don’t speak it, but it’s really, really difficult to, to speak it. Uh, you actually, the ba the Basque language is the la the only one that, uh, this, uh, uh, these, uh, pH dot doesn’t know where it, where it’s coming from. So it’s like a really, really weird place to live.
Sevan Matossian (06:41):
And and how old are you?
Aniol Ekai (06:43):
I’m 25.
Sevan Matossian (06:46):
And, uh, wow. And, uh, and, and, and that you’re young still. You have a chance. I was thinking you were gonna tell me you’re 30. Usually when I interview people outside the country, they’re older. Okay.
Aniol Ekai (06:55):
What does it mean? That I have a chance? A chance to what?
Sevan Matossian (06:58):
You have a chance. You have a chance, buddy. You’re young enough to get good enough to, to get to that, uh, win the CrossFit games. That’s it, right?
Aniol Ekai (07:05):
Uh, yeah. I hope so. Yeah. Maybe not that, but I will be happy if I make it to the games. Uh, these, uh, these next years,
Sevan Matossian (07:13):
What is childhood like, uh, growing up in, in Spain? Uh, you, you mom and dad are both bask?
Aniol Ekai (07:21):
Uh, no, actually, uh, my father is bask, but, uh, well, uh, my mother is, uh, from, uh, Catalonia. This, this like, uh, another state I, I raised in Catalonia, uh, from, like, I’ve been there like all my life, and I just moved here in Bask Country, like, uh, last year. But my roots are from, are from, well, not, not the bus country, but, uh, near to bus country. Like, it’s called Pamona, you know, the san, the running of the Bulls.
Sevan Matossian (07:49):
Oh, yeah.
Aniol Ekai (07:50):
So that’s where I’m from, uh, that it’s like one hour to, to San Sebastian. But I, I actually was raised in, uh, in a small town near Barcelona.
Sevan Matossian (08:01):
Have you done that running of the Bulls? Have you done the running of the
Aniol Ekai (08:04):
Bulls? Yeah. Yeah. I’ve done, I’ve done it a couple, a couple, a couple, a couple of times.
Sevan Matossian (08:07):
Yeah. Tell me, tell me. Yeah,
Aniol Ekai (08:09):
It’s, uh, it’s sick. Like, uh, I remember, uh, uh, I did it with my father and my sister, uh, at the same time. Uh, you know, like I’ve seen the bulls like a lot of times, uh, in this, um,
Sevan Matossian (08:21):
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I have to interrupt you. Uh, are you single?
Aniol Ekai (08:28):
Uh, yeah, yeah, I
Sevan Matossian (08:30):
Was single. Okay. Heidi? He’s single relationship,
Aniol Ekai (08:31):
But, but, uh, I’m single now. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (08:34):
Okay. He’s single. He’s single. Okay. Sorry. Okay. So Father, with your Si these are important questions. I, I don’t wanna lose them. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. Uh, um, I only will ask you the important ones. Um, okay. So, uh, your father and your sister.
Aniol Ekai (08:47):
Yeah, we, we run, uh, all together, but, uh, you know, like you, you can’t imagine how big they are. Like the horns are like, like, are like so big. Like, you can, you can, you can stay inside. Uh, his, his head, uh, and between the horns, you know, like, this is like, they are huge. They, they are like six, 600 kilos, uh, beasts. And they’re running like, uh, so fast, like four 50 kilometers per hour. That, that’s like, well, I don’t know what is in miles, but because, uh, we, we use like, um, metric system look like you, you
Sevan Matossian (09:23):
Guys are, yeah, 12, 1200 pounds, you’re saying? Bigger than 1200 pounds, I think
Aniol Ekai (09:27):
1200 pounds, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So that, that’s,
Sevan Matossian (09:33):
Yeah. Yeah. This, here’s the picture. Like you can see that that two people would fit in between the horns. This one.
Aniol Ekai (09:38):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. They actually do. Like, so that’s, I just did it, uh, a couple of times. Uh, but I’m not doing anything anymore because usually when I go there, I’m just drunk. Uh, not, not, not, uh, I’m not able to run.
Sevan Matossian (09:53):
Gotcha, gotcha. And, and, and how is it, did you stop drinking since you became a CrossFitter?
Aniol Ekai (09:59):
No, of course not. Oh, no. Okay. I’m just drinking in, uh, like when I’m not having, I actu I usually stop drinking like any kind of alcohol, like one, uh, one month, uh, before any competition, maybe 15 days. It depends on how focused I am. Uh, but I, I don’t, I don’t go far as I used to.
Sevan Matossian (10:23):
I, uh, I was inter, I interviewed Jorge Fernandez, uh, a couple days ago. He’s 27. He said he stopped drinking alcohol and coffee for two years.
Aniol Ekai (10:32):
Oh, why?
Sevan Matossian (10:34):
No, he thinks that it’s the best thing for his performance
Aniol Ekai (10:38):
Coffee. I mean, I can understand, uh, alcohol, but not coffee. I mean, coffee is actually c coffee in, it’s like, it’s actually a boost. Like, it’s, it’s, it’s been proofed scientifically that it helps performance.
Sevan Matossian (10:52):
Um, I told him that, but he said he brought up a really good point. He said that it helps them, uh, control his emotions better when he is not on caffeine, and he gets a lot of power from emotion.
Aniol Ekai (11:04):
Oh, okay. That’s, that’s an interesting way to, to see it. But, but yeah.
Sevan Matossian (11:10):
Um, so I’m, I’m looking at this. So do you go to the starting line where the bulls are, and do you have to sign up or anyone can jump in?
Aniol Ekai (11:18):
No, no. You, every, uh, uh, I mean, uh, this is starting like at 8:00 AM and people are starting to get in, like at seven, kind of everyone. Like there’s a, there’s like a, there’s a, like a, this is not for the whole city. There’s like a, there’s, there’s like a route. You have the bush have to go. They, they start like, it’s like, uh, two kilometers kind of, uh, route.
Sevan Matossian (11:42):
Okay.
Aniol Ekai (11:43):
Um, and, and then, uh, the, they start, they have like 50 meters or so. Like they, they go by by their room and they, they start to, uh, people are waiting them and they run. And you usually, when you run, you, you have like a different, uh, different, um, because you cannot hold the pace. So you just run like for 10 meters or 15 meters, and then you go, uh, to the, like, you just run away from them because they are going too fast. So you just run from, from 10 meters and then you go right or left. Depends.
Sevan Matossian (12:19):
And, and what are the origins of this? Why, why do you guys do this? Uh,
Aniol Ekai (12:23):
I don’t know. I really don’t know. I mean, uh, I really don’t know, but in Spain, there’s like a big culture of, of, of, of running the bulls.
Sevan Matossian (12:33):
And
Aniol Ekai (12:33):
So it’s, it’s probably the, the, the, the the biggest thing you, like everyone knows in outside of Spain,
Sevan Matossian (12:40):
Hey, don’t you guys do that other thing where you build the tower with those people? Is that Spain also where they build those towers?
Aniol Ekai (12:46):
Yeah, that’s, that’s, that’s Catalonia.
Sevan Matossian (12:49):
God, you guys do some wild stuff.
Aniol Ekai (12:51):
Yeah. That’s, that’s actually weird. Like, because, uh, it’s really difficult. I tried, uh, one or twice, uh, but it’s, it’s really hard because you need to be strong, but also need to be like, you, you have to be strong, but you cannot wait too much because, uh, that’s like some way that the, everyone’s holding it, so you have to be strong, but not that way. It’s like, kind of weird.
Sevan Matossian (13:17):
I, I typed into Google, uh, Catalonia people towers.
Aniol Ekai (13:22):
Yeah. You have to look for casters. Uh, I can spell it.
Sevan Matossian (13:25):
It’s okay. I found it. I just put in, oh, I just put in people towers. Uh, before we switch to this, when you’ve run with the Bulls, have you ever been stepped on or bumped into them, or, or been gorged?
Aniol Ekai (13:36):
Not me, but my father was, uh, once he was, uh, uh, he, he, he, he, the horn just like touched him, uh, on his, uh, on his, uh, on his leg. And he had like a small, uh, small, uh, injury. Like, he had like the horn inside his, his leg for like two centimeters or so, like one inch.
Sevan Matossian (14:00):
How old were you when that happened?
Aniol Ekai (14:03):
Uh, I was not born.
Sevan Matossian (14:04):
Oh. Oh, wow. So he’s done it a lot.
Aniol Ekai (14:07):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. He, he was, uh, he, he did it since, uh, he, since he was 17 or so until he died. So that was like four years or so.
Sevan Matossian (14:19):
D Does someone die every year?
Aniol Ekai (14:22):
Not every year, but, um, I think like maybe like one or two every five years or so.
Sevan Matossian (14:33):
Absolutely.
Aniol Ekai (14:34):
Wild. Yeah. But people die like, like some people die. Yeah. It’s, it’s kind of dangerous
Sevan Matossian (14:38):
Kind of.
Aniol Ekai (14:40):
Yeah, well, kind of. Yeah. It’s dangerous. Really dangerous.
Sevan Matossian (14:43):
Yeah. <laugh>. And, and is it just one run, or is it like every hour they send out six bulls?
Aniol Ekai (14:49):
No, no. It’s, it’s one run, uh, every day for, for a, for nine days, for eight days.
Sevan Matossian (14:56):
Wow, okay. Yeah. This thing is nuts. And then they, and then I, I’ve even seen like at the very top, they put like a kit up there with a helmet on.
Aniol Ekai (15:04):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. The the, the smaller you are, the higher you go.
Sevan Matossian (15:10):
And is there a limit? Is there a goal to, uh, how many people? Like, is there a goal? They
Aniol Ekai (15:14):
Are, like, I, I, I’m not really into it, but I know that there are like different, uh, there’s like this, uh, like you can try to do like, uh, three in the base, and then you go three up, two up and then one up. Yeah. Or you can go just like for one app all the time. And this has like, different, uh, different writings and like, it’s,
Sevan Matossian (15:38):
It’s kinda Okay.
Aniol Ekai (15:39):
I really dunno. How is, how is it going? But, um, they say like,
Sevan Matossian (15:44):
I see what you’re saying. There’s different levels to it. Like here. Exactly. Here, some people have like three people at the base. Oh, like this, like this base has like, like 15 people, then like nine, then Exactly. Four, three.
Aniol Ekai (15:57):
Three, three. Usually the bigger ones are the most with more people, you know, like you can start like with 10, and then you go like 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1. And then, but I don’t know how, how, how tall is it? I’ve never, I actually never, um, seen this in, in life because it’s really popular. But, uh, just like in some certain, uh, towns, we don’t do this in all the towns, you know?
Sevan Matossian (16:26):
Yeah. Look, this one, I dunno if you can see, but this one has two kids on the top with helmets.
Aniol Ekai (16:32):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And they, they erase, they have to raise the hand and then they go down.
Sevan Matossian (16:38):
I, the, all the ones I see. They just come down on their own <laugh>. That they <laugh>. Exactly. And then, and then now that I think about it, don’t you guys have a tomato fight also?
Aniol Ekai (16:51):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That’s, uh, oh, where is that? I think that is in, in Laka, I think. Yeah. That’s, that’s sick. Yeah. That’s also like, uh, you know, like we, I feel like we put a lot of excuses to get drunk.
Sevan Matossian (17:04):
Yeah, exactly.
Aniol Ekai (17:05):
Like bush. Yeah. And then, uh, like everything, we actually, we do more things than Paris in Spain, you know? Seems not that we actually do.
Sevan Matossian (17:15):
Yeah. I, I believe you, you could use, I clear you guys use some grass. Look at this. The tomato festival in Valencia, Spain. Yeah.
Aniol Ekai (17:22):
Uh, Valencia. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is Lato Matina, they say
Sevan Matossian (17:26):
La
Aniol Ekai (17:28):
Laina Lato.
Sevan Matossian (17:31):
Lato Lato. Exactly.
Aniol Ekai (17:34):
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Sevan Matossian (17:36):
Oh, I would wanna be in the back of that truck with all the tomatoes. That would be so fun.
Aniol Ekai (17:41):
Yeah, you can go there.
Sevan Matossian (17:43):
Oh my goodness. Have you done that?
Aniol Ekai (17:45):
No, never. No, that’s like, uh, far away from, from my left.
Sevan Matossian (17:51):
Okay. And so, so you’re, you’re raised by your mom and your dad?
Aniol Ekai (17:58):
Yes, exactly.
Sevan Matossian (17:59):
And you have one sister. How, is she older or younger?
Aniol Ekai (18:02):
Uh, older.
Sevan Matossian (18:04):
Older sister.
Aniol Ekai (18:05):
Yeah. She’s 29.
Sevan Matossian (18:07):
Does she do CrossFit?
Aniol Ekai (18:09):
Um, not really. Like, I’m trying to convince her to, to train a little bit. She’s really trying. Um, but she’s just like, um, she’s a little bit lazy, but she’s trying. She’s, uh, I’m proud of her. She’s trying
Sevan Matossian (18:26):
<laugh>. And how about your mom and your dad? Have you got them to do it?
Aniol Ekai (18:31):
Yeah. Well, my, my dad, uh, used to do it. Uh, uh, but, well, she, he died like two years ago. Uh, but my mom, my mom is, I’m actually, um, he’s, he’s, uh, she’s really, well, she’s not that old, but she’s old now. And I’m just like trying to get her into CRA because I really think that she needs to be more healthier. She’s kind of, uh, overweight to say, to say that in that way. I’m trying to help, like, keep it, to keep her healthy. I’m, I’m sending like, like some, uh, exercise to do. Uh, so she’s, she’s actually trying, but, um, she’s far away from, uh, from, from me now. So she’s like, she’s living in, in my race town. Like, it’s like a six hour drive from where I live now, and I can’t control her. So I don’t know if it’s, if it’s, if she’s training or not.
Sevan Matossian (19:19):
Gotcha.
Aniol Ekai (19:20):
She says she’s, she says that she, she’s training, but I don’t know.
Sevan Matossian (19:24):
That means she is.
Aniol Ekai (19:26):
Yeah. Okay.
Sevan Matossian (19:27):
She is. Hey. Um, how did your dad pass?
Aniol Ekai (19:31):
Uh, she, uh, he had cancer, uh, twice. First time he got like, uh, uh, colon cancer, and then, uh, six months later he came back and destroyed him, like, uh, all the way.
Sevan Matossian (19:46):
And, um, h how, how has that affected you? Has that caused you to put a premium on your own health to put, to really focus on your own health?
Aniol Ekai (19:54):
Uh, not really. Uh, it, it, uh, it just like, uh, I was starting CrossFit back in 2019, so, um, it was like kind of hard, uh, for me because, uh, I was getting closer to them. Like, by that time we were not close, not really close when I was younger. So, uh, but, but when I started like doing graphic at 18, in 2018, I started to get to getting closer to him, but then he passed away. So that’s, it was kind of, it was really, it is actually like hard, but it, I think it also helps me to, to develop myself and to being a man, actually, I think so, so it helped me a lot in, in, in that in some way it helped me,
Sevan Matossian (20:38):
Um, aniel, uh, b both of my parents are alive, but I sometimes think that there’s two things that will make you an adult. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, your parents passing or having kids.
Aniol Ekai (20:52):
Yeah, I think, think so. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (20:54):
Because
Aniol Ekai (20:55):
I’m not planning to have kids, so
Sevan Matossian (20:58):
No, I, I wasn’t planning on it either. If, but do you have sex? Sometimes
Aniol Ekai (21:03):
I do, yeah. I try to.
Sevan Matossian (21:04):
Yeah. Okay. Well then it can happen. I’m telling you, <laugh>. Um, it, it’s, um, y yeah, I guess you start to realize that, um, with parents when they pass, I guess you start to realize you’re alone in the world.
Aniol Ekai (21:21):
Yeah, exactly. I mean, it’s like, uh, like you are not protected anymore. You know, like, I feel like, uh, you, you realize that life sucks most of the time, and then you just have to, um, be wise to pick these, uh, good, uh, moments and, and take it for yourself.
Sevan Matossian (21:45):
Um, when, when you train and, and things get hard, do you think about your dad?
Aniol Ekai (21:50):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. A lot. A lot.
Sevan Matossian (21:55):
Uh, someone said Sevana is going to cry. Not yet. Close though. I’m close. Oli Oli Oli,
Aniol Ekai (22:04):
He’s, uh, he’s, uh, you know
Sevan Matossian (22:07):
Him? I do.
Aniol Ekai (22:08):
Yeah. Uh, he’s, uh, this, um, you can, uh, find him on Instagram. He’s this, um, model. Uh, he’s a friend of mine, actually. He’s, he’s competing with me in my, in al This is, uh, weekend.
Sevan Matossian (22:23):
Is he on your team?
Aniol Ekai (22:24):
Yeah, he’s what’s his name? Games last year, Mr. Week. You can watch, uh, you can look for him in Instagram.
Sevan Matossian (22:31):
That’s really his name. Mr. Week?
Aniol Ekai (22:34):
No, his name is, uh, Alex Agai.
Sevan Matossian (22:37):
Alex Agai.
Aniol Ekai (22:39):
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (22:40):
I’m gonna become a, a fan of, uh, this, the Spanish guys here soon. How about this? How about this Fabian guy? Are you friends with him?
Aniol Ekai (22:48):
Yeah, he’s, uh, really close to me. We are, uh, I just saw him past now, uh, in front of me like one minute ago.
Sevan Matossian (22:56):
And he’s Spanish too?
Aniol Ekai (22:58):
Yeah, he’s from Valencia, but we are now training together. Like we both moved to the same place to train together. Actually. He’s been the fittest ma uh, Fe Spaniard, uh, three years in a row when I’ve been second one, three years in a row. So
Sevan Matossian (23:13):
Are you fitter than him?
Aniol Ekai (23:16):
Uh, not really. I think not, uh, depends on the workout, but, um, Mo most of them, he beats me.
Sevan Matossian (23:23):
H uh,
Aniol Ekai (23:24):
How old you? He’s way stronger than I am. Yeah. Yeah. He’s, uh, 26, 27.
Sevan Matossian (23:30):
So you have two years to catch him?
Aniol Ekai (23:32):
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (23:34):
And, and good. And he, um, he won a Dubai.
Aniol Ekai (23:40):
Yeah, I know. I I was there.
Sevan Matossian (23:44):
Crazy.
Aniol Ekai (23:45):
Yeah, it was crazy. It was a, it was a sick, uh, Sunday for him.
Sevan Matossian (23:51):
And, and, and that, is that the highest, uh, achievement, uh, a Spaniard has achieved in the Yeah,
Aniol Ekai (23:57):
Yeah. Yeah, by far. Yeah. I think that’s, that’s the biggest one, winning Dubai for sure. The, the biggest one, the, the second one I think is Alex make it to the games. And then, and then, I don’t know.
Sevan Matossian (24:13):
Hey, is it inappropriate to call you a Spaniard if you’re from Bask?
Aniol Ekai (24:19):
Uh, some people make that angry, some, uh, like bus country, real, like, uh, they feel. But I just, I really don’t care about politics. Uh, I used to be independent about Catalonia, but not anymore. I just feel like it doesn’t matter.
Sevan Matossian (24:35):
Uh, what, what would I call you? Uh, like a basian?
Aniol Ekai (24:38):
No, you can call me Spanish. It’s okay. You can call me any
Sevan Matossian (24:43):
<laugh>. It’s okay. Let me hear you say your name.
Aniol Ekai (24:46):
Aol.
Sevan Matossian (24:47):
An
Aniol Ekai (24:49):
Eh? Yeah. Kind
Sevan Matossian (24:50):
Of. No. Okay, one more time. Let’s do this.
Aniol Ekai (24:52):
Aniel.
Sevan Matossian (24:54):
Aol.
Aniol Ekai (24:55):
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (24:56):
Aniel. Exactly. Aniel. Yeah, exactly. And, and I was calling you Aniel an
Aniol Ekai (25:02):
Yeah, yeah. Is fine.
Sevan Matossian (25:05):
Ando. And what do the, um, what do like, just the regular Joe’s like, call, like what do the Americans call you? Like when you, when you check into the hotel?
Aniol Ekai (25:14):
Um, um, annual, uh, some, uh, I think I, I really feel like it’s not a weird name. Like, but I don’t know why people like, doesn’t know how to say it. Uh, I mean, not, not just, uh, you Americans, but like Spanish Spanish people. Like a anal,
Sevan Matossian (25:34):
Like C, C, yeah.
Aniol Ekai (25:36):
<laugh>. Yeah. But not, not in the, because they, they, they, sometimes they, they, they made a mistake that they feel like the A is going first. The before the N. So they say I No, but it’s an, like, it, I, I, it’s not a popular name. I know, but
Sevan Matossian (25:54):
My
Aniol Ekai (25:54):
Color. Like Aniel. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (25:56):
An there’s an O, right? An
Aniol Ekai (25:59):
Exactly.
Sevan Matossian (26:00):
This guy’s saying, it’s like, look at this guy says like, annual, that means like, in the, in English, that means every, like, every year. Annual. Yeah,
Aniol Ekai (26:07):
I know. I know. Yeah. I, I speak English. You remember We are speaking English seven
Sevan Matossian (26:13):
<laugh>. You’re getting hostile. Uh, um, how, how, how good is your English? I, I, when I was trying to research you and all of your, uh, podcasts were, um, in Spanish. Except for, except for one hippie lady who interviewed you.
Aniol Ekai (26:30):
Yeah. Uh, well, I mean, my English is, is, is getting better, uh, every day because I’m using it more and more because of these of CrossFit. Actually, I was not really good at English at school, but, uh, then I started to watch, uh, Sirius in English, and then I started to use Instagram and chatting with people outside of Spain. And actually, I used to work in a bar, and I in a bar, like, it’s really like all these people, uh, from UK come, they get drunk. So that’s where I learn English.
Sevan Matossian (27:08):
Uh, Philip Kelly, annual, annual
Aniol Ekai (27:14):
A I think everyone’s having fun about my name now, so
Sevan Matossian (27:16):
Yeah. Annual. Yeah, it’s good. It’s good. I mean, shit, my name is Seon, like, I mean, it’s like, it’s a mess. Yeah,
Aniol Ekai (27:22):
Yeah. Yeah. Seven. It’s like a cool name.
Sevan Matossian (27:24):
I don’t know about that. Uh, he’s very sarcastic. I love it. Yes. He’s, he, he does have a very good sense of, uh, humor. Thank
Aniol Ekai (27:33):
You. I have, I have to, I have to, uh, like you are, if not the, this should be boring, so I don’t want to be boring.
Sevan Matossian (27:40):
Thank you. I, and I appreciate that. I have had some, tomorrow’s gonna be a tough day for me. I have Jay Crouch and Dolan Pepper on.
Aniol Ekai (27:47):
I don’t think they’re, that, that, that much fun, right?
Sevan Matossian (27:50):
No, they’re
Aniol Ekai (27:51):
Horrible. U usually they’re horrible. Usually. Usually these are Cru fears. They are not fun. You know, like, uh, when we u when we, we were like our like, or or group training culture, we, before that, before we went to Dubai and the games and this stuff, like, we were like, just like regular people with regular life, and we went party and we had fun, and we just, but I feel like this Cru fitters, this elite Cru Fitters, they have never known host like party and stuff. Uh, some last year we went here, we, we, we stayed here in Guap, Pooja, and ca it came a front of others. He’s not really into CrossFit. And he say, yo, this party is like, like, like, like weird party, you know? Like people are dancing weird. Like they are not eating, drinking alcohol. <laugh>.
Sevan Matossian (28:45):
Hey, um, Americans are, uh, first of all, if, if Americans are uptight anyway, like every American who goes to Spain is like, oh my God, it’s the greatest place ever has the nicest people ever. They have the most fun. So I mean, you come from a country that’s more fun, and then on top of that you go crossword. I mean, if Dalan gets out, Dalan, you know, if he gets out of line, Daniel, Brandon will slap the shit out of him. And, and if, if Jay Crouch gets out of line, Rob Forte, his coach will slap the shit out of him.
Aniol Ekai (29:11):
So, who’s, who’s Pepper is being coached by Daniel? Brandon?
Sevan Matossian (29:15):
No, but they train together.
Aniol Ekai (29:17):
Well, uh, actually what, what program are they doing? They,
Sevan Matossian (29:21):
They’re over there with, uh, Matt Torres over at, uh, the brute camp in, uh, Naples, Florida.
Aniol Ekai (29:28):
Oh, oh, that’s close. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (29:29):
Yeah. So when you train with someone like Danielle, you’re not allowed to like, say anything unless she tells you. She’s like, she’ll, if you want to talk, she points at you, and then you can talk.
Aniol Ekai (29:37):
I don’t think, I don’t think, like, I think that’s, I just think that that’s just, if, if Daniel said to me that I cannot talk, I’m just leaving, you know? Yeah. I’m joking. Yeah, I know, I know. Okay. Just like, I know, I know know, but I, I actually, he was, he was, he was, I, I met her today, uh, not me, but he was over there and I say, Hey, who? Daniel?
The above transcript is generated using AI technology and therefore may contain errors.
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