Did Guillermo Perez and Maria del Rosario Espinoza Save Mexico’s Sporting Future?

Oh, rest of North America. For the first half of the recently concluded Olympics, we were all having a good laugh over Canada’s inability to medal in anything not involving snow, but then they had a good last run and ended up with 18. Now it’s Mexico’s turn to get the Nelson Muntz “Haw-Haw” routine, because before the taekwondo medaling began, the Mexican contingent received exactly one medal–in synchronized diving. But after ass-kickers Guillermo Perez and Maria del Rosario Espinoza got through with their competition, they collected more gold medals (two) than the country had in the past five Olympics. And as a bonus, they’ve given hope to Mexico’s Olympic future, one that’s been in the hands of organizers more corrupt than a border guard in Texas (pick a side).

“The problem . . . basically is the insufficient way that our sports authorities identify, prepare and support our athletes,” wrote Julio Serrano in the national newspaper Milenio, which also reported accusations against the Mexican Olympic Committee, whose members were charged with giving preference to their families over the country’s 80-plus athletes.

Preference for what? Maybe that’s the problem–girlfriends and parents are getting the plum spots running the 100 M instead of athletes like Perez, who hopes his win lifts the spirits of all Mexican athletes and lifts the nation’s sports programs.

“This is a dream come true and I’ve worked hard for a long time for it,” said Perez, 28, who trains in the west-central state of Michoacan… “I hope this success will inspire the Mexican delegation and the Mexican people to show that dreams indeed come true.”

If anything, hopefully his win just shows his countrymen how not to act in an official Olympic setting, unlike that crazy Cuban MF’er.
Mexico has reason to hope for future Games [LA Times]
Image [LA Times]