Jhony Rentería is 27 years old, a bit old for athletics, but that doesn’t interest him much. With those years on top of him, he won gold this year at the Villa de Bilbao International Meeting (Spain) and with that 9.97 s he became the fastest man in the country by beating the national record held by the young Ronal Longa, with whom he will be in the qualifiers for the competition tomorrow at 3:35 a.m. Colombian time, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
According to the criteria of
Longa had been the first Colombian to go under 100 seconds in the queen of athletics and world sport, but Rentería took it upon himself to lower it and arrives in Paris with the peace of mind of having fulfilled his duty and made history.
Very confident
Is age not an impediment to becoming the fastest athlete in Colombia?
I’ve been doing this for 17 years and over the years I saw that it was far from getting a place in Paris, but I’ve been very strong, life has been tough for me. I’m from the Aguablanca District in Cali, I’ve seen many things and that has strengthened me, that’s why I never gave up.
What was special about that day when you lowered the national record?
I ran with a fever of 38.7 degrees. I had the flu and that strengthened me because I said that I couldn’t let myself down.
But it’s the Colombian ‘lightning bolt’..
Two athletes have lowered the national record by under 10 seconds and that puts us among the best in the world.
What are you looking for in these, your first Olympics?
I want to go for a final in Paris. The time gives me that option and anything can happen in the final. The goal is to run 9.80 seconds and with that I can fight for a medal. It’s like a dream, I saw it far away and now I have it in my hands.
The Olympics are something else…
That’s inexplicable. I’ve been to World Championships, I’ve raced against the best in the world and that makes me happy. I have the baggage, the experience to face what’s coming. I’m not afraid of the Olympic rings.
Why did you achieve this goal at 27 years old, isn’t it too late?
It has always been said that I am the old man of the national team. They call me the old man and everyone is happy with everything I have done. Age has nothing to do with our ability.
It is the ultimate test of sport…
It’s an incredible thing to be there. It’s the most watched competition in athletics. The world is watching the race and I will give my best. I dream of the medal.
The rivals are monsters, are you afraid of them?
No. I have prepared myself for these key days. The ideal is to have a perfect start from the blocks, because that is essential to having a good race.
You will be racing against your idols, who is your role model?
My idol is myself. I have always tried to strengthen myself, to improve day by day and I have a very strong mentality to keep moving forward and overcome those barriers.
Lisandro Rengifo
Special correspondent from EL TIEMPO in Paris
@lisandroabel
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