Felipe Gutiérrez's siesta time: "The most important thing has to be studying or working"

This week Felipe tells us about young high-level athletes and how to plan for the future

 

 

This sport, this triathlon I think at times makes some lose their minds thinking that by training four, five or six hours a day are professionals and of course they are, but in hours of effort, care, dedication, but it is clear what you have to see behind that cloud and see the real world.

Personally I am very afraid when young men and women leave everything to enter a high performance center and sacrifice your youth, leave a few kilometers family, friends, school, your club, your usual training partners and "solo" for betting to be better, to look for a place in a JJ.OO or maybe in a European or world of the sport that practice

Once in the CAR of Madrid I have thought to see different young people training and I do not speak only of triathlon, also of other sports the hours that they dedicate to training, the hours that they spend running or in the gym or doing series on the track or in the forest or combats or matches and hours in the tapestry doing what your sport asks of them.

It is clear that the bet is strong, that possibly and due to the illusion that seizes them they cannot see beyond, but that is the risk and that is the life.

After all if they also get a college career in that space of time so great, but if in addition to not getting the dream they do not manage to go forward in the professional world because without a doubt it is a fiasco.

A few days ago I read an interview with a triathlete, he was international in duathlon, Miguel Capó where it said clearly: "Having a job gives you more security than a sponsor" Miguel nuanced: "The ADO scholarships and public aid are shit".

Miguel has already spent years running all kinds of modalities and without a doubt an injury, a sciatica separates him from the world of high competition and can coldly see what the situation is after trying it.

He says in his interview: "When it is high competition sport it is no longer health, nor healthy. I have always said that I see many people who are preparing to play certain tests that train too much. They go through nonsense kilometers, too many for when you're looking for health. The sport of competition comes a moment that is no longer health, which harms us. And specially the people of popular tests exaggerate in their preparation, that in many cases they pass of many kilometers "

They ask him if the athletes are well taken care of by the different administrations and he answers in his interview: "Not at all. I think no and more now with the excuse they have of the crisis. It is worse yet. The government and the people are asking for Olympic medals and world and European titles, when the ADO scholarships and the public aid to sports are shit. They ask you for medals, that we win the Americans here and there "

It can be said badly high, but no more clear, if you want to follow the whole interview you can read it here: http://www.diariodemallorca.es/deportes/2014/11/13/puesto-trabajo-da-seguridad-sponsor/976270.html

How is the life of a possible? champion, of an Olympic future? What happens when you don't achieve those goals and even when you do.

A few days ago in my facebook account I added a video entitled "Del podio al olvido" by RTVE and in it you can see the reality of what the sport leaves behind, that residue, of athletes who have spent hours preparing for appointments international and then ...

Interesting to see it, personally it struck me: http://www.rtve.es/m/alacarta/videos/documentos-tv/documentos-tv-del-podio-olvido/3180920/?media=tve

Is something going to change ?, or will we continue betting with a blindfold, only with the illusion, the desire and the interest of each athlete?

Personally I think that of course the most important thing is study, work and then the sport, whatever the level of interest. It is also true that many will continue to change the order of priorities. What is clear is that time goes by for the champions and the future is ... tomorrow.

At the moment my nap time has helped me to think about those "promises" that are believed to be eating the world and of course for those who have easy "you are the best", "you should do" ... You have to look ahead of the cloud.

Felipe Gutiérrez

Photo: ITU