Sponsored by Ecuador's only Olympic medalist, Jefferson Pérez, walker David Hurtado received symbolically the legacy of the person from Azuay.
For Pérez there were some circumstances that came together to take on the challenge. "The private company, BioSil, came and contacted me through my brother, who told me that there is intention to do a campaign with David to transmit my experience to him. I thought it was a great idea and after getting to know him, his coach, his family, I find myself excited to support a young athlete, who wakes up at 4:00 am to train, studies, and on Fridays arrives at 8:00 pm to sleep to go train, and that model seemed interesting to me."
Pérez pointed out that David represents a new generation, a group of Ecuadorian athletes who are committed to the nation.
On his part, David, an 18-year-old from Quito, confessed that his beginnings as an athlete were at Técnico Sucre school, in Quito, and his idol since childhood was the marcher from Cuenca.
In 2013, he decided to do walking after watching a competition of Pérez, and his first medal was silver in a championship in Riobamba. Precisely this event was a qualifier for the South American Championship in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where he won his first gold medal for the country.
Currently, Hurtado is a two-time Pan American youth champion and holds four national records in the 10 km, two of which were previously held by Jefferson Pérez, who advised him not to feel pressure and to work with a lot of humility. (D)