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| Bullfighter José Tomás elevated to pantheon of greats after 'perfect night' | Bullfighter José Tomás elevated to pantheon of greats after 'perfect night' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| When Spain's star bullfighter, José Tomás, took on six half-ton bulls in the Roman amphitheatre at Nîmes, in southern France, fans wept and critics hailed him as a god. | |
| His gory trophy haul of 11 ears and one bull's tail from a single afternoon's fight on Sunday made him one of the greatest matadors ever. | |
| The unusual pardoning of one his bulls, deemed too noble and brave to kill at the end of the fight, added to the legendary nature of a bullfight that propelled Tomás's face to the front page of El País, El Mundo and other major Spanish dailies on Monday. | The unusual pardoning of one his bulls, deemed too noble and brave to kill at the end of the fight, added to the legendary nature of a bullfight that propelled Tomás's face to the front page of El País, El Mundo and other major Spanish dailies on Monday. |
| "Extraordinary," wrote Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, who was among those present. "I have never seen a bullring so packed, and the people so overwhelmed." | "Extraordinary," wrote Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, who was among those present. "I have never seen a bullring so packed, and the people so overwhelmed." |
| "Some of us wept at the sight of such excellence, of perfection," wrote El Mundo's respected bullfighting critic, Zabala de la Serna. "I write this with sunny tears, blinded by emotion." | "Some of us wept at the sight of such excellence, of perfection," wrote El Mundo's respected bullfighting critic, Zabala de la Serna. "I write this with sunny tears, blinded by emotion." |
| Write-ups of the historic fight featured, like all such reviews, in the arts pages of newspapers that continue to treat the bullfight as culture, rather than sport. | Write-ups of the historic fight featured, like all such reviews, in the arts pages of newspapers that continue to treat the bullfight as culture, rather than sport. |
| Tickets had long ago sold out for the comparatively rare opportunity to see one of the greatest living bullfighters face six bulls. Most bullfights see three matadors take on two bulls each but, as the beleaguered bullfight seeks salvation from an onslaught of criticisms over its cruelty and dwindling public funding in crisis-hit Spain, fans had long seen this fight as an opportunity to stem the anti-taurine tide. | Tickets had long ago sold out for the comparatively rare opportunity to see one of the greatest living bullfighters face six bulls. Most bullfights see three matadors take on two bulls each but, as the beleaguered bullfight seeks salvation from an onslaught of criticisms over its cruelty and dwindling public funding in crisis-hit Spain, fans had long seen this fight as an opportunity to stem the anti-taurine tide. |
| "Catalonia is here!" was one of the cries heard, as bullfight fans from Spain's northeastern region crossed the border to watch a pastime that also has historic roots in southern France. | "Catalonia is here!" was one of the cries heard, as bullfight fans from Spain's northeastern region crossed the border to watch a pastime that also has historic roots in southern France. |
| Bullfighting was banned in Catalonia at the turn of the year when the region's parliament acted on a popular petition. Controversy was stirred over whether the ban was really about protecting animals, or about the identity politics of Catalonia as nationalists and separatists seek to differentiate it from the rest of Spain. | |
| Tomás fought at Barcelona's La Monumental bullring a year ago, bringing to an end what fans claimed were six centuries of Catalonian bullfighting. | Tomás fought at Barcelona's La Monumental bullring a year ago, bringing to an end what fans claimed were six centuries of Catalonian bullfighting. |
| After Monday's performance, critics agreed that Tomás now deserved a place in the pantheon of great matadors, alongside legends such as Manolete, Juan Belmonte or Gallito. | |
| "José Tomás is an exceptional bullfighter, because of his control, his courage and his art," wrote Vargas Llosa in El Mundo. "There have always been stars in bullfighting but José Tomás is different to them all." | |
| Tomás has long been the darling of bullfight-loving artists and entertainers. He is also a favourite in southern France, which shares the bullfight with Spain and some South American countries. | Tomás has long been the darling of bullfight-loving artists and entertainers. He is also a favourite in southern France, which shares the bullfight with Spain and some South American countries. |
| The number of Spanish bullfights has fallen by a third in recent years as town halls, which used to fund many fights, have run out of money. Some 1,700 fights were registered in 2010, with about 7,000 bulls killed. |