Magnus Scheving, ‘Sportacus’, congratulated Ángel Barajas on his silver medal: the athlete was inspired by his character since he was a child

toAngel Barajas is the name of the moment in world sport. The 17-year-old gymnast became Colombia’s first medalist at this edition of the Olympic Games.

The story of the athlete born in Cúcuta went viral in moments when he revealed where his interest in sports had come from and how his path to success in gymnastics had begun. One of the references was the character Sportacus from the children’s series Lazy Town.

Sportacus’ praise

In the series, the character, played by Magnus Scheving, is a gymnast who places great importance on physical preparation and sees sport as a way to end the conflicts that arise with the help of his fellow protagonist.

This was something that Ángel Barajas liked, who became a fan of the show from a young age and even dressed up as the iconic character in his early years. This inspiration gave him the impetus to start training.

Now, Magnus Scheving, the actor who plays Sportacus in the series he also directed, learned of the Colombian’s triumph and sent a moving message to the man who once inspired him and who now has the country’s name at the top of sport.

“Congratulations, what an incredible achievement. You are a real superhero and an inspiration,” the Icelander who brought the iconic athlete to life on the show said in his Instagram story post.

The story of Angel Barajas

The now Olympic medalist began training at the age of four. His mother mentions in several interviews that, as a child, he spent his time jumping and doing pirouettes around the house. “He would jump from the closet onto the bed, but nothing ever happened to him. From a very young age he would make crescent moons everywhere. A neighbor saw him and recommended that I take him to a gym.” Angelica Vivas mentioned for Radiónica.

But Angel, when he arrived at the gym and saw that it was girls who were training at that time, decided to leave. However, fortunately for him and for Colombian sport, he returned and fell in love with the sport with role models such as Jossimar Calvo, who also had a good participation in the previous Games.

With a score of 14,533the same ones that gave the gold medal to China, Barajas broke several records that put him in the sporting history of the region. Today the Colombian is the youngest South American male athlete to have won a medal at the Olympic Games. and begins his preparation cycle to be able to surpass his feat in the 2028 Los Angeles edition.

SERGIO ANDRÉS GAMBOA MENDIVELSO

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