The Olympic legend recruited the Mexican athlete for the university program in Houston
Cecilia Tamayo will have a new opportunity to advance to the Semifinals of the 200-meter flat at Paris 2024. The sprinter trained by Carl Lewis will seek to continue making history for Mexico and respond to the confidence of the ‘Son of the Wind’ at the Olympic Games.
“See you in the Semifinal. Visualize it,” were the words that Carl Lewis gave Ceci Tamayo before she competed in the 200m at the Stade de France. The multi-Olympic medalist has always believed in the Mexican and her potential.
It was in 2015, during the Junior Pan American Games in Edmonton, Canada, when the former American sprinter set his sights on Ceci after being impressed with the Mexican’s talent.
Carl Lewis recruited Mexican Cecilia Tamayo for the University of Houston. Courtesy Juan Tamayo
“He saw her at the Pan American Games in Edmonton,” said Juan Tamayo, the athlete’s father. “He spoke with her mother and me. She was a minor and he told us that he would like her to go to the university where he was the coach, which is the University of Houston.”
Breakfast with the ‘Son of the Wind’
The contact with the athletics legend took place during a breakfast. Carl Lewis introduced himself to the parents of the athlete from Guanajuato. Cecilia Tamayo, the runner’s mother, remembers how their first interaction was.
“It was very impressive to meet a legend because we knew who he was perfectly well and, well, seeing him on TV, having breakfast with him,” he said.
However, the start of the Tamayo-Lewis duo had to wait.
“It was still a process of waiting three years until she finished high school, she was invited by other universities and she chose Lewis,” she explained.
With a smile, the mother tells how Lewis expressed his desire to work with ‘Ceci’.
“Imagine if I asked my daughter, ‘So, what do you expect or what do you offer? We offer you this at university and what do you think about university? Where do you want to go? How do you see yourself?'” she recalled.
“He didn’t convince us, he convinced Ceci, who was going to make the decision. He said he saw a future for her, that he liked the way she ran and that he wanted to train her,” added Juan Tamayo.
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This is how Cecilia Tamayo earned the respect of Carl Lewis
Cecilia Garza, mother of the Mexican runner, talks about her daughter’s personality and the way she relates to her coach.
Why choose Carl Lewis?
The faces of the Mexican athlete’s parents express great relief knowing that their daughter is trained by Carl Lewis.
“He is a down-to-earth person, so focused on the development of his athletes. He is wonderful and I think he is a great guy, he is a very competent person,” explained the mother.
Furthermore, the relationship between Tamayo and Lewis is quite close. Not only is he her coach, but there is also a certain affection between teacher and pupil.
“He is approachable, warm and down-to-earth, well aware of what an Olympic athlete requires,” he added.
When a legend believes in you
“I think he always saw that I could make it to the Olympics,” says Cecilia Tamayo, who mentioned that Carl Lewis named the Mexican as the University of Houston’s sprint captain.
In addition to the lessons on the track, “he has been very good as a support.” He explains that, although Ceci is no longer at the university, “there is a reason why he is still her coach. So that speaks for the relationship they have.”
Ceci has certainly earned Carl Lewis’ trust and her parents say that “he respects her because she is someone who, no matter what is asked of her, she will do it, she is a very disciplined athlete. I think she has earned respect as an athlete,” they conclude.
Ceci Tamayo is adamant that she will continue working alongside Carl Lewis after the end of Paris 2024.
“Yes, I’m going to continue with him, I’m going to continue training there for a few years,” said the Mexican, who has no doubts about which path to follow and who she should follow it with to reach glory.
