During this time of social distancing due to COVID-19, the BMX Freestyle biker, the Costa Rican Kenneth Tencio, has not stopped training on the bicycle and in the gym that he rode at his home in the community of Jacó where he has been 7 months he gets up with the same passion and dedication thinking about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“We are training the best we can. Now I am waiting to see if I travel to Spain to compete in Barcelona on November 7 and 8 in a non-UCI tournament that will bring together several biker elites. It will be the first face-to-face competition that I will have in almost 7 months when I competed in Estonia in February, ”said Tencio.
From the park located near his home in Playa Jacó, Tencio trains day and night, seeking to perfect his tricks and trying some new tricks where in times of Pandemic, he regrets not being in official competitions, but at least he has a place where his flights are frequent and normal falls.
“The first days between February and March it was difficult to adjust to the changes, while the world went into a strange pause, I had to train as hard as my legs could on the pedals. As time went by, I managed to find a routine where, thank God, I have places to continue my training sessions, my track and the weight gym that the National Olympic Committee gave me to have in my home, ”he commented.
In the absence of international tournaments, on September 20, Tencio enrolled in a competition where he obtained third place in the finals of the first FISE virtual world championship.
Of the 20 professional athletes that participated, the podium was as follows: Logan Martin – 94.9 points (Australia), Konstantin Andreev – 94.8 points (Russia) and Kenneth Tencio – 93.4 (Costa Rica.
“We had to send a video to the judges where they qualified us through what they observed. I tried to perform some tricks that I had been developing since the beginning of the Pandemic which gave a good appreciation, taking me to the finals where I reached third place. I think that in the absence of face-to-face tournaments we have to at least compete each one from their country ”, mentioned the Carthaginian.
The biker enthusiastically affirms that, despite the Pandemic, he takes advantage of the variety of terrain that Jacó has to go out on three types of bicycles: road, mountain and freestyle.
“In Jacó I have a huge training field, I can go running on the sand on the beach and then, according to training, take a bicycle to do my basic exercises, technique and tricks in the training park. We have taken advantage of every day to train with everything and time at home, even to learn how to cook, “said the biker.
On the topic of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he mentions that he wakes up every day thinking about his debut, where his wish is to reach the podium.
“I cannot explain how motivated I am. Every morning, when I open my eyes, I review the day as if I were already at the training sites and when I’m really on the pedals, I imagine an Olympic stage where I have to give everything to get to dispute a medal, ”said Tencio.
He claims to be “physically incredible”, where every day his tricks take more control and his motivation grows so much to the point of staying longer than planned on the track where no one forces him to leave because it is his property.
This Tuesday, Tencio had a visit to the dentist where he will have to rest for a couple of days due to the extraction of a tooth called “wisdom or wisdom tooth”
“In these seven months of pandemic, I have not stopped training except today when my tailpiece was removed. I eat well and get an excellent sleep to jump out of bed the next day with the same motivation. Thank God, to this day I have had a lot of blessing, I have fallen off my bike many times, but nothing that prevents me from getting up again to continue with the stunts “
Source: Press Department, Costa Rica Olympic Committee