Christian Pacheco: Background fight

Cristhian Pacheco was the architect of his destiny. Gridded to poverty that forced him to wash cars in Chilca, Huancayo, he began imagining that the dream of being an athlete, like his brother Raúl was, was a utopia. But this was just a temporary mental sequence. He never remained static. After experiencing a brief connection with football, typical in a country addicted to the king of sports, he had the official click with long-distance running, another front that has become less and less in these latitudes.

Pacheco’s prematurely deteriorated sneakers were a sign of willpower that sooner or later would bear fruit. So it was. Before he turned 20 he was already a renowned marathon runner in the land where he was born. He also noted that this was the formula to free his family from a reality that had to be overcome. For this reason, he made the leap to the capital.

The federation calibrated it and added it up. He immediately became a national representative and participated in the 2022 Pan American Games. Gold was the watchword and he achieved it. That, however, was not the limit. He was also called up for the 2023 Pan American Games and repeated the dish: another gold, a two-time champion by far. Although he reveals that he did not have the necessary support and was on the verge of resigning, he recognizes that the vigor of the predestined propelled him and thus he moved forward. He asks for more support from the federation, thinking not only of himself but also of his colleagues. “More investment is needed to maintain a high sporting level. For support to be optimal, the State, the IPD, the Federation and the athlete have to go hand in hand. Programs must be created. It is an entire Olympic cycle,” he points out. Pacheco doesn’t leave anything or anyone out.