Anthony Zambrano won the silver medal in the 400 meters of the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesbut from then on he fell into an impressive slump in which injuries and personal problems have not allowed him to shine.
According to the criteria of
His withdrawal from the Paris Games this Sunday due to an injury to his left ankle was a surprise.
Problems and more problems
In it World Cup in Budapest, HungaryLast year, the Guajiro achieved a time of 44 seconds and 92 hundredths in the fourth heat. However, he was disqualified for invading the lane and, although he had made it to the semi-finals, he was eliminated.
For the same reason, Zambrano was also disqualified in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, where he had won the bronze medal.
He finished seventh in the second heat with a time of 45.49 s, but had the opportunity to go to the repechage in search of the semi-final, but he opted to retire.
The athlete’s life has not been the most disciplined. His Olympic cycle did not start well, as he was not in the Bolivarian Games 2021 after a controversy. In Cali he announced, at that time, that he would not compete in Valledupar and made some statements that sparked controversy.
“I don’t have to compete, because I’ve been pushed around in other competitions here, so why do I have to go to that? I haven’t decided, I’m looking to see what I can do,” Zambrano told the media in Cali.
The athlete said that he has differences with the leaders. “It is sad that certain people here… It is the economic thing. There is never support, there is never anything… Nobody manipulates me, I am in charge because I am the one who runs, one is the one who is on the track, to earn a pittance,” added the athlete.
The athlete had been suffering from several injuries, especially one in his groin, which prevented him from preparing properly for his goals.
The Colombian Olympic Committee reported that Zambrano receives 7 million pesos a month for being part of the Excellence Athletes, plus another 4.5 million pesos contributed by the Inder del Atlántico.
In addition, it was reported that all his preparation expenses abroad (tickets and accommodation, etc.) will be covered.
The athlete was one of the spearheads of the Colombian delegation that took part in the Bolivarian Games, with the mission of defending the two titles it has won in the last two editions.
The theory
Anthony Zambrano has been off the map since he won in Tokyo. He has not revalidated his results and the news has been more bad than good.
It is known that he is not the most disciplined athlete, that he does not have a good environment to help him and that is why his performance has dropped, in addition to the injuries he has had.
“Indiscipline, bad company, his social roots that he doesn’t get out of. They lead him to seek very big things overnight. He has sensational skills in cycling, but his personality doesn’t let him,” he told TIME a nearby source.
He added: “If he were to train wisely, and leave his bad habits behind, we would surely have an Olympic and World champion, but his environment won’t let him. His habits won’t let him.”
Likewise, it is known that Zambrano’s personal situation is very complicated. The Colombian Athletics Federation is concerned because Zambrano is not getting better.
“The chaos in his life has him up against the wall. He has some extravagant outbursts.”
“It’s difficult what’s happening with him. He got lost along the way. He came with many laurels, important triumphs, but today he is another. Talent comes out, but he himself was in charge of getting lost,” commented Fedeatletismo.
And they added: “They spoke to him in his ear, there are people worried about him, but Zambrano himself is the one who does not allow himself
to be helped. He doesn’t want to get out of there, out of that hole. Now, his resources will be reduced because he hasn’t revalidated and that has to wake him up, although I don’t think he will be the same as before.”
Anthony Zambrano is led by Nelson Gutierrez, who has tried to help him, to take him on the path that he is, but that has not been reflected.
“His entire career has been like this. The chaos of his life has him against the wall. He has some extravagant outings. If you look closely, you see a man who likes to show off his cars, his jewelry,” said another person close to athletics when consulted by EL TIEMPO.
“He hasn’t gone crazy with money, I can rather say that he is disorganized, because he has helped his family, his mother. His personality is difficult and there are people like Orlando Ibarra who talk to him, try to guide him in the right direction, but he is in charge of contradicting them,” he said.
Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@lisandroabel
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