Kevin Cordón and Luis Carlos Martínez have materialized dreams and managed to excite a whole country eager for good news. Today they gave a sample of their quality as athletes and gave us unique moments in a historic Olympic Games for Guatemala.
Today, Kevin qualified for the semifinals of badminton, while Luis Carlos established himself as the seventh best swimmer in the world in the 100-meter butterfly, and was the only Latin American in the final. Today they brought us smiles, tears and put us to the brim with their performances. Today, they both made history … again.
At Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, the powerhouse of badminton at the Tokyo Olympics, Kevin Cordon played badminton in an efficient and forceful manner. He beat his Korean rival Kwanghee Heo in two scary sets by 21-13 and 21-18.
There was no anxiety, there was no nerves (at least not on the court), there was no fear, just the desire to play an effective and entertaining game. Kevin just wanted to “play his best at every point”, do what he likes. Against Heo it was not a boring game, it was fast-paced and intense, or so it made us feel.
“I am very happy to know that everything that was done and did not do was worth it,” he summarized. Now, it’s time to enjoy this moment and wait for the semis. His rival for a place in the final will be Danish Viktor Axelsen. The game is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at 10:00 p.m. in Guatemala.
Aiming at the Aquatic Center
Just minutes after Kevin Cordón’s victory, another Guatemalan achieved the unimaginable. Luis Carlos Martínez, who a day before qualified for the final of the 100-meter butterfly, disputed what could be the race of his life.
His concentration goes beyond what people can ever imagine or understand. Years of work, years of sacrifice and effort, ended here, in this time and place. Luis Carlos is, today, the Latin American benchmark of the 100-meter butterfly.
Tonight he finished seventh in a final that he reached with gallantry and heart. He set a time of 51.09 seconds to set a new national record; He did it among merfolk with North American and European consolidations, who swept the medals. Tonight, Luis Carlos Martínez became the seventh best swimmer in the world in this test.
