The bond - as they recognize it - goes beyond having been heroic protagonists of several sports news that generated pride, joy, and excitement among Ecuadorians. Their names - Andrés Gómez Santos and Jefferson Pérez Quezada - appeared published on numerous occasions as their formidable tennis and athletic feats were narrated. Their epics are immortalized in the pages of Diario EL UNIVERSO, which today commemorates its 99th anniversary.
Their connections with this newspaper are emotional and related to their respective families or their early sports beginnings. For Gómez, a 60-year-old Guayaquil native, this newspaper, in his memory, is intertwined with the image of his father, Pedro Pablo Gómez, who among other activities excelled as a prestigious broadcaster.
"I don't know how old I was when I had my first contact with EL UNIVERSO, but I must have been quite young. I do know that my first memories are related to my father when I saw him in his pajamas, at the garage door, picking up the newspaper," recalls the champion of Roland Garros in 1990.
"I want to greet all the readers and the directors. I was honored a few times (six) with the award for the Best Athlete of the year. That event (Champions' Dinner) was always a stimulus for all athletes, a constant support in our careers," he said.
The cuencano Pérez (46 years old) relates: "I cannot say what my first memory of Diario EL UNIVERSO is, but I think it was when I started my sports career at 13 or 14 years old."
The Olympic champion in the 20-kilometer walk in Atlanta 1996 adds: "I met them when they had their facilities downtown. And I remember the Champions' Dinner (he was chosen Best Athlete of the year seven times). I had the opportunity to be awarded by Carlos Pérez Perasso and it was super important for me. It was a beautiful, exciting, anecdotal moment, a gathering of the best athletes." Those visits "allowed us to get to know the reporters, the people from the graphics department, have meals with them, be with the directors, all in one place. That is one of the best moments I remember. I could see how the newspaper was printed, I met the people who do it, and that is unforgettable." (D)