That accelerates between men and women, puts the happy autopilot and forgets the world marching powerful and rhythmic, almost with a smile in the mouth soaked by the moisture of newly dawned tokyo.
It goes faster than any and even fun harassing with its rhythm for a couple of turns to the Brazilian Caio Bonfim, the second classified among men. Advantages of 35, which is disputed in mixed platoon, which allows relativizing the difference between sexes. The winner among men, the Canadian Evan Dunfee, has used 2h 28m 29s to cover the distance, at a rate of 4m 15s per kilometer, while Orce’s grenadine gets a chrono that would have ended up finishing the 21st in the male classification, which does not care. “And I also unfolded two Japanese, huh?” He says. “But when I compete I don’t think of them. I just think about arriving.” I always go to my ball, but I always think there is no one better than me, right? “He says.” And I don’t mind saying it before, like today, that one has said, maybe I don’t participate such, and I tell him, I don’t care, I’m going to win you all. ”
He only thinks about winning, what he does more easily than ever after leaving with his intimate Antonel Palmisan of the arm, two friends of walk; The Italian of Taranto, in the ancient Lucania of the Ionian, waving the beautiful flower and pints that her mother manufactures her, the same one who wore when she won the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021; Pérez, of the harsh and hard Orce, 29, five younger than his partner, marking the way and, little by little, distancing himself. I wait for you on arrival, he says, because he feels plethoric, he needs to accelerate the rhythm, show his goodness, feel admired. Alone among all. Opening the way. Hey that even the Japanese spectators who fill the circuit drawn around the Olympic stadium chant their name. He understands it. He enjoys it. “Where I go I am always well received,” says the young woman who worked in the field, and also, to complete, later serving drinks in the pubs of the town. “That means that something good I am doing, that I am a good example for society in my discipline. And that is what I’m always going to take.”
Before arriving in Tokyo, where he erased the Olympic memory four years before, when he finished fourth, María Pérez had already won everything that could be won: European champion, twice world champion, Olympic champion. He arrived happy and in peace with herself. Ready for a quiet race. But it would not be the one that is, the supercompetitive champion who sacrifices his whole life for the work that makes him better, if he did not think inside he lacked something. “I am a different Mary because I have everything, but I’m still getting nervous. Look that I have been very quiet every day, but last night I had to take two melatonins, and I already felt the feeling of Budapest’s anxiety, and that is what makes me hook me,” he says. “Maybe it’s because I felt that I was only missing in the collection a success by entering an Olympic stadium [en Berlín, donde el Europeo, en Budapest y en París, la marcha se celebró en el centro de la ciudad, lejos del estadio]. I was 18 when I saw Miguel Ángel López win the 15th World Cup entering the Beijing Olympic stadium, and I said, fuck, hopefully one day he can get what he has done … dreams sometimes fulfill themselves. ”
Enter the Olympic stadium alone, it comes out of the dark tunnel to the glow of cloud light, fortunately, to Tokyo, and there is no one in front or behind. There are 300m back of honor, playing with the flag of Spain that grabs with both hands when crossing the goal. Then he releases her and does not celebrate. Just wait. Five minutes later he sees his friend Palmisano into the stadium. He goes to the finish line and when he sees her the last straight, he greets her ceremoniously, to the Japanese, and when she crosses her, she embraces her, and tries to elevate her in the air. “Oh, leave me, that I am dead,” the Italian begs him, to collapse on the ground, where he is sitting. Maria leans and almost lovingly unleashes the sneakers’ cords, and gets up running for a bottle of water that she shares with her friend. They remember the promises that were made when they shared four weeks of Livigno training, in the Alps, last June. Palmisano told her that she only competed motivated by her, by Maria’s example, and for the desire to bring the flower woven by her mother, and Granada confessed that thanks to her, to train with her and her husband and coach, Lorenzo Dessi, had improved. “I am the athlete that I am thanks to her and the way she and her team have taught me to prepare things,” says Pérez. “And it is very important to share the great moments with important people.” They share and congratulate each other. They had promised to share the podium in Tokyo. They have succeeded. María Pérez is in peace again. “Reaching this state is complicated,” he says. “And when you find it you just have to enjoy.”
The other two Spaniards, Raquel González (Sixta) and Cristina Montesinos (seventh) reached the end of finalists, which guarantees them a scholarship next year, as well as the Galician Daniel Chamosa, sixth and best Spanish in the year of their debut in a World Cup at 28. Brother of the very talented antía march, two younger years, which will participate in the 20 kilometers, Daniel Chamosa has overcome pneumothorax) and an insidious hammer lesion before calling with force at the door of the elite. “Until time I only came to the World Cups as a spectator, to encourage my sister. Now I am already the protagonist,” says Pontevedra march that sacrifices living in his Galicia, the sea, the breeze, the forests, to live and train in the hard and arid Guadix with Jacinto Garzón, in the group just Maria Pérez.
