Venezuelan Leonel Martinez, 60 years old, became the protagonist of a striking story at the Olympic Games this week thanks to his longevity, as he competed for the second time in an event of this type 40 calendar years apart, since his debut in Los Angeles 1984.
What was so special about his participation in sport shooting? By participating in the competition held at the Centre Chateaurou, he became the first to take part in sport shooting events of the great world competition in a difference of four decades, something that is almost unbelievable.
Journalist Carlos Méndez, an Olympic specialist who works for Sports Venezuela, reported that the veteran athlete is from the state of Zulia and had a good performance in the second round of the pit, almost making it to the Grand Final.
Score
In the clay pigeon shooting event he scored 116 points, six below the minimum needed to advance to the summit stage, something that would have given another touch of epicness to his presence in a competition in which Guatemalan Jean Pierre Brol was able to climb onto the podium, finishing in third place. In this way, Brol gave his nation its second medal.
Martínez did not win a medal, as he was ranked 28th out of 30 shooting specialists, but he did find a reward for his perseverance, which allowed him to return to Olympus and come close to equalling the record for longest lifespan for exponents of any discipline, set by the Japanese Hiroshi Hoketsu in equestrianism.
Hoketsu achieved the feat of attending Olympic Games 44 years apart, making her debut in Tokyo 1964 and returning to this type of event in Beijing 2008.
The key
What did Martínez do to be able to “step on” the Olympus? In an interview with the EFE news agency, the native revealed that he is in optimal physical condition to face highly demanding competitions.
“I go to the gym every day and keep my body moving. I don’t believe in medical science that says that at 40 or 50 you should no longer do certain things. That may be true for people who believe it, but for me age is just a number. I will work with my body and my mind. This sport (shooting) is 90% mental,” explained Magaly Chacín’s husband.
Martínez, who is also a businessman dedicated to the manufacture of medical supplies, has two children: Patricia and Leonel, who followed in his footsteps in sports shooting and represented Venezuela in the already distant Pan American Games Guadalajara 2011, which he attended as a spectator, since he was retired. Stepping onto an international stage as a fan did not please him and that is why this head of the family decided to show his marksmanship again in different competitions until reaching Paris 2024.
He said that after six decades of existence, he has not lost his passion for handling the rifle and hopes to stay healthy to try to qualify for Los Angeles 2028.
“When there is something that you are passionate about and that drives your existence, everything becomes easier. I wanted to come out of retirement and experience again what I am experiencing now (in Paris). That adrenaline that you still feel, comes back in a second and I think that is what sport is about,” he concluded.
Valencia / Joseph Ñambre
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2024-08-01 00:57:03