San Salvador, Jul 28 (Sputnik) .- There are victories as or more significant than a medal, either because of how difficult it is to achieve them or because of the quality of the rival: perhaps that is why Guatemalan Kevin Cordón burst into tears in the middle of the field, after eliminating China’s Angus Ng Ka-long in badminton at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
It is no wonder: the Asian occupies the ninth place in the world badminton ranking, and the victory of the Central American was unobjectionable, and opened the doors to the round of 16 of the match played at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, in the Japanese capital .
They were moments of catharsis and relief, of releasing the emotion contained throughout the game, because I knew that a contender like Angus cannot be beaten with passion, technique and talent alone: it takes cold blood and a lot of concentration.
After giving free rein to his feelings – and the inevitable tears, as he later confessed – the great benchmark of badminton in Guatemala got up and then, only then, did he begin to celebrate this milestone in his career.
Chapin Pride
«I am happy for the victory, but more happy because I can speak in Spanish. It’s hard to speak in English, “Cordón said with a laugh to the Spanish-speaking reporters who approached him after the victory.
Before starting to focus on his next rival, the Dutchman Mark Caljouw, Cordón allowed himself a few moments to take stock of his life, lights and shadows, and thank the result that confirms him as a pride of the Chapin sport.
«The first thing you think – when you win – is that it is worth everything. There one says, it was worth so many hours of training, sacrifice and so many things that happen to one not only as an athlete but also in the human part, “he commented.
He admitted that it was inevitable to cry, at the memory of the episodes that marked his life, such as the accident in which his brother Marvin died, or the knee injury that took him out of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, just in his second game .
Either way, in the win or the reverse, Cordón tries to show the humility and simplicity that make him a benchmark in the National Badminton Federation of Guatemala, where he trains children who see him as an inspiration.
Prolific career
Born on November 28, 1986, in the eastern department of Zacapa, Cordón is also famous for his perseverance and the way in which he has faced every obstacle in his personal and sporting career.
As a child he wanted to be a footballer, and in fact, his father named him in honor of the former English striker Kevin Keegan, but he fell in love with the racket and the shuttlecock, and he devoted himself to a sport in which he is recognized as a great on a continental level.
His record includes gold in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena-2006 and Mayagüez-2010, while in the Pan American Games he won silver in Rio de Janeiro-2007, gold in Guadalajara-2011 and Toronto-2015, and bronze in Lima-2019 .
In turn, he debuted in the Olympic Games in Beijing-2008, in London-2012 he achieved the milestone of beating the local representative, he had to leave the Rio fight due to the aforementioned injury, and now in Tokyo, at 35 years old, he is making history.
“Personally, all the joy is for my family, for my brother and for all those people in Guatemala who told me that he was going to set the alarm to watch the game … what better than to thank them with a victory,” said Cordón after his recent victory in Tokyo.
In his dialogue with the press, the Guatemalan assured that he faced the game one point at a time, with joy, without being tormented by the result, or thinking about whether he was ahead or behind in the scoring against a rival who did not give him anything. At this level, no one does …
“When I realized I was at point 19 of the second set and I took the urge. I am more than happy with the victory, “summed up Cordón, the person in charge of the talk of badminton in Guatemala, another country that venerates -exaggeratedly- football. (Sputnik)
