[Sports] Carlos Coloma: "David deserves it. It is a story of overcoming and brutal sacrifice"

[DeepPurple]

It is often said that fate is capricious and this time it has been with David Valero. If in the last edition of the Games, in Rio 2016, it was Carlos Coloma who celebrated a hard-earned medal in the Mountain Bike test, today the protagonist is none other than his 'pupil'. The runner from Granada, with a comeback to frame in the Japanese capital, has added the second medal for Spain in these Tokyo 2020 Games. And Coloma, his current coach, is largely to blame for Valero having inscribed his name in the list of winners Spanish Olympian. The medalist in Brazil has been on RTVE's Twitch and, as expected, he has raved about David Valero.
Coloma has especially emphasized that the position of the Granada runner at the beginning of the test did not give him hope of a medal. "But my eldest son told me that Valero was going to do a medal. We had reviewed the psychological work many times and we were confident that it could be done," added the Rioja when recalling the development of the race.

In addition, he has admitted that he, as well as Valero and his team, were clear that against cyclists of the stature of Van der Poel or Pidcock it would be very difficult to reach the podium. "To be in the lead from the start was highly unlikely," he added. Coloma also wanted to highlight the rivalry between the Dutch and the British, mentioning his great physical and mental level: "It is something positive for our sport."

As for the other Spanish representative, Rocío García, Carlos Coloma has made it clear that expectations are good. "The level is similar to that of Valero, given his preparation. The season has been worked exclusively for these Games. Mentally he is a rock, everything is possible," the Riojan settled on the possibilities of the Madrid athlete in the female event.

Coloma, a mirror to look at for David Valero
The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games was one of the reasons why Coloma decided to end his stage as a professional. After the announcement of his retirement last March, far from departing from the sphere of mountain biking, he had a clear objective: that the Spanish representatives of this modality in the Games arrive in the best possible way. And Valero's podium has shown it. Carlos Coloma himself was happy on his social networks after the medal won by Valero:
The Rioja is more than an example to follow for future generations of this sport. He knows very well what it is to taste a metal in the World Mountain Bike Championships (gold in 1999 and bronze in 2001), as well as in the European Championship (bronze in 2003). His bronze in Rio 2016 certified his career in mountain biking in a big way, and today it was Valero who has done his part to continue with the legacy of the athlete from Logroño. Tomorrow it will be Rocío del Alba García's turn.
David Valero, perseverance and sacrifice until the end
Whoever follows her gets it, but in Valero's case it has not exactly been an easy path. The man from Granada has accumulated several awards throughout his professional career, but the process until he managed to project himself on the international scene has been the result of effort.

At the national level, the one from Baza has been six times mountain biking champion, and his best mark in the world of the old continent was a bronze in 2018. He has not gone unnoticed in the world competitions that he has played, although the culmination of his great dedication has come at the 32nd edition of the Olympic Games. He already tried it in Rio 2016 where he finished in ninth position. At that time Coloma was completing a podium whose position today belongs to David Valero.

The performance of the Andalusian runner has also served to make it clear that many times it is not so much the way to start but the way to recover and continue fighting. After an exit in which it seemed that he was lagging behind, Valero was climbing positions until the last lap to bring joy to the Spanish delegation and become the second medalist of this contest.