My Profile – Wílmer Talledo “Romario”

Robinson Ruíz – At least just once in lifetime

Interview by Nelson Peñaherrera Castillo, special to ChulucanasGym. Photographs Courtesy Robinson Ruíz.

 

Getting to a very important tournament like the 2019 Lima Pan-American Games costed Robinson Steven Ruíz Calle (Chulucanas, Peru, Sep. 5^th, 1998) to stay far away his homeland for training properly, and giving time to extra-sport activities such as working at a restaurant, gathering plastic bottles, or giving maintenance to bikes, but he got it – he got for Peru and for himself, a bronze medal in road biking. His speciality is track speed.

 

Although he initially trained at his hometown, he might move to the other side of the nation for perfecting, in Arequipa, where the High Performance Center is located, and one of the major biking hotspots in Peru. In that same place, another highlighted biker trains, his older brother Hugo Ruíz. Was all that effort worthy?  His name already appears in the international records of biking. We talk to him while he rests from one of his most recent competitions.

 

Since how old do you do biking, already in competition mode?

Since I was 17 years old.

 

Have you ever done biking or have you do other sports?

I began in soccer when I went to the school, and I also highlighted in athletics, but I felt they weren’t for me.

 

So, how do you get to biking?

Because of my father and my older brother Hugo, whom I admire much. He began in biking. He did it before than me.

 

When you did athletics, what tests did you highlight in?

In 100 flat meters.

 

And that test is more power instead of speed, isn’t it?

Yes, it is so.

 

Then, you have got the speed and resistance of soccer and you have got the power of 100 flat meters, and a good leg is necessary in both. How did that help in biking?

So, since I was a child, I was very disciplined in my trainings, whether in soccer, athletics, or biking. And I’d add genetics to that, not dismissing the hard work for sure [laughs].

 

What factor of your genetics do you believe it plays in your favor?

I think I have some runner skills, reaching good speed peaks in short distance, and a good power management by Nature, and the ease to gain muscular mass. I add to that much pure resistance work, resistance to power and speed.

 

How do you get to 2019 Lima Pan-American Games?

After a set of selectives to all pre-selected athletes, who highlighted the most in different resistance and speed tests were selected. I was one of the chosen ones.

 

When you arrived, what was the first thing that came into your head?

The first thing I thought it was my first and last chance to show the class in home. I like much to do something thinking it will be the last time I do it. It makes me to deliver 100%.

 

How much did that thinking way work to you?

Well, the truth is I continue applying it in every phase of my life. I believe it helps me ever, it turned me into a very passionate, dedicated man. It’s about the life is too short and someone doesn’t know where someone will be tomorrow. The road biking is a sport that is not respected in Peru by the drivers, there are road accidents risk ever.

 

You took an interesting issue. There are campaigns asking to respect the bikers everywhere, but it seems the engine vehicles drivers don’t understand it. How do you feel about?

It’s something very sorry that fills me with much impotence and anger. It’s easy for them to take a seat in the safety of a big vehicle that protects them. We go on a bike – the only stuff protecting me is a helmet. I demand respect to the life of us, the bikers – five feet distance wwhen you want to pass beside me, that’s it. You can lose a minute of your time and passing in a safe way for us. We can lose our whole life full of goals, dreams, and along.

 

Also, the bike produces zero polluting emissions to the atmosphere and it’s a recommended exercise to keep the health of body and mind, isn’t it?

Right, my buddy.

 

You talked about a life of dreams and along. Where has the biking got you to, and if did you ever dream at least to get until there?

Once upon a time when I was a kid, I dreamed much to be featured on TV riding on my bike with all these professional bikers who run the tour right there in Europe, and because of the work and constancy, the biking gifted me that opportunity by participating in the San Juan Tour, a classic in Argentina where all the professional teams participate. The dreams are to be accomplished and they can make real, indeed. I’ve known places I never thought, diverse countries, cultures, moments, friends, experiences I will keep forever.

 

Please, mention these countries, aside Argentina, and don’t forget anyone.

Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile. These are what I remember.

 

Almost all Iberoamerica. To finish for now, I remember when we met your brother Hugo, one of his major challenges was getting a sponsorship and it was very hard. How was it in your case?

Well, I took a part-time job a little time ago to fundraise some trips to certain competitions. It still continues to be a challenge for me [laughs]. I don’t travel to all the rides because the budget lacks – biking is expensive.

 

But, do you know what you have, aside the genetics? So, the pride and the enthusiasm. I hope more people look at your work and your colleague bikers’ because the international results you get really makes worthy any funding.

Thank you very much, buddy.

 

You can check out the international records of Robinson here. Also, follow him on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

 

 

Do you have a similar story? Write us at chulucanasgym@gmail.com or contact us on our Twitter account. 

Freddy Pozo’s 7 big challenges

This athlete reveals what made him to hold on a sport career despite the obstacles.

 

 

All photographs provided by Freddy Pozo.

 

Freddy Daniel Pozo Guerrero was born in Piura City, Peru, on October 7^th, 1982.  When he still studied at San Miguel School, in this city, he premiered as an athlete in 1994 School Games. He was recruited because of his talent into the so-called Achievement Poles promoted by Cuban trainers.

 

In 1997, he classified to a Peruvian Northern tournament. He got a place that same year for a nationwide’s else.

 

Since 1999, he began to train with Jose Bonilla Cortez. The next year, he won marathons in Piura City, Trujillo (both in Peru), and Macará (Ecuador). His achievement as a top athlete allowed him to enter directly the university in Trujillo, in 2001, where he highlighted in the 5K, 10K pedestrian tests, while he got high scores  in lane – 800 meters, 1500 meters tests.

 

When his sport career was rising, the first difficulty came in. An injury forced him to break it all. He lost the scholarship.

 

He had to return to Piura where he entered another university. His body seemed to react again as much as he was an athletics university champion between 2005 and 2007. One of his major achievements was winning in Cuenca (Ecuador) amid his category.  He covered 44.4 miles  in 6 hours.

 

Despite he was the Best Piurano in Piura’s Half Marathon, he decided to leave the sport and focus in his studies in 2008. Then, he faced his second big difficulty. He looked for sponsors but no one granted him. “Sports are not profitable because you have  to train 6 daily hours,” he tells. Aside the time, he might invest in feeding and supplements. There was no money.

 

This decision carried him a third difficulty. Freddy is 5.5 feet. In 2008, he was 123 lbs. Breaking suddenly made him to increase 88 lbs, slightly .

 

A fourth difficulty returned him to athletics but not in a competitive level. His mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. In the beginning, she survived it, and the physical activity was part of the treatment. Freddy turned her coach.

 

He lived a fifth difficulty with his mother. An apparent medical negligence caused her to pass away in 2019.

 

Freddy sheltered in the sport. He went out running in the mornings, he went to the gym at nights, beginning himself in Olympic discipline – powerlifting, very different to bodybuilding, because the first one addresses to hold on a weight in the air the most time in the less number of moves as possible, the second one basically addresses to model the muscles.

 

“Many people remembered me from my time as an athlete,” Freddy comments.

 

It was when the sixth difficulty came in. Somebody used a pesticide to poison one of his colleagues. Somehow, Freddy got poisoned. His central nervous system was under attack causing him a temporary paralysis that has turned a fibromyalgia –defined by Mayo Clinic as generalized muscular pain and sensitiveness—through the years.

 

In freddy’s case, it turned him off some flexibility. As the physical therapies were very expensive, he had to learn applying them. Even, he opened a specialized center but he might close it because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here we have the seventh difficulty.

 

During the lockdown, he studied handball and volleyball which he graduated as a technician. The interesting is he never has done any of them in his lifetime. “I’m a little self-taught,” he affirms. “What I have learned was by my own.”

 

Up to this date, Freddy Pozo coaches handball teams in sub-13 and sub-17 categories, he’s 135 lbs, he believes the sport helped him to overcome every difficulty. It rejuvenated him,even: “The training and the lifestyle make me looking like a 27-year-old dude,” he assures.

 

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Clean as water, strong as metal