With the evolution of national triathletes, the Olympic medals are very close
▲ Aram Peñaflor (left), 24 years old, is part of the new generation of competitors who hope to show the leap in quality in the discipline in Paris. Photo @Worldtriathlon
Leonardo Mena Gil
La Jornada Newspaper
Saturday, March 23, 2024, p. a11
Since its appearance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Mexican tria-thlon has been at its best. More and more voices confirm it and anticipate a promising future.
For many years the names of Crisanto Grajales and Irving Pérez remained among the most remembered. Today, the horizon is different with the emergence of a new generation.
It has grown quite a bit. Since I remember, triathlon has been talked about more and more. There was a period in which there were always the same competitors and there were no other faces, now new generations are emerging, largely thanks to the support that has been increasing, revealed Aram Peñaflor, 24 years old.
The Mexican speaks from the experience with which he qualified for his first Olympic Games last November.
The federation has been very involved in detecting sporting talents. They have worked with a scientific group, monitoring and following up on them. As if that were not enough, in Jalisco I have noticed that competitions are held more frequently, which has helped people learn a little more about this sport, added the Toluqueño, part of the athletes who have come to change the team. .
With the place guaranteed for his extraordinary 2023, he envisions a future even better than the current one, if the training were to increase.
Internationally we can continue to improve, in the case of the men’s branch we had very good representatives previously, but triathlon is evolving, now it is much more competitive and the age range has been decreasing. So I think more friction is needed, said the two-time Central American champion.
In the case of women, they have progressed a lot, it is the strongest team since the formation of a national representative.
Golden season
The women’s team is going through a golden era with Rosa María Tapia, among the 10 best competitors in the world, and Lizet Rueda in the top 30. Both guaranteed the Olympic place from the end of 2023.
“Knowing that your teammate is making history in Mexico and is running that way, or is riding that hard, motivates me and that’s when I say to myself, ‘I have to be better than her.’ “I am very happy to see this growth and that we are leaving a small seed for the following generations,” Rueda shared.
When the competition around you is this high, you have no choice but to also be one of the best, one thing leads to another. The competitive level in Mexico has been evolving and means that we all have to grow with it. Why? Because it makes you go the extra mile, get out of your comfort zone, she reveals.
Part of the success, he considers, is the structure that the Mexican Triathlon Federation has formed. Although it is not the most solid, they have always looked for a way to take us to the greatest number of jousts.
The next step is the Olympic medal, they estimate. That’s where we are going, Rueda expressed, while Peñaflor assured: we are not very far from achieving it.
2024-03-23 08:05:15
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