Ten Years After Ecuador’s Greatest Sports Success 
ECUADOR, 28/07/2006. Friday the 26th of July at 7:30 am Ecuador lived one of its most exciting moments in sports, when a young man, just 22 years old, was placed his country's name at the top of the world podium. It was a cloudy morning in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., and as the competition wore on, the temperature began to climb. The first pages of the sports sections were dedicated to the favourites; Russians, Italians, Spaniards, and Mexicans. In none of the predictions of the specialists, however, figured the bravery and courage of that young Ecuadorian who would form part of the history of the Olympic Games.
The event was transmitted live on Ecuadorian television (Teleamazonas) with a continuous narrative by its sportscasters. As minutes went by, however, the sportscasters injected more emotion into the broadcast, mentioning the Ecuadorian athlete's performance. With five kilometres to go, all the television channels and radio stations linked to the international television broadcast. Unbelievably, there was their countryman shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world and with the same possibilities as his rivals to obtain Olympic glory. Meanwhile, in the official transmission of the event, sportscasters began to count every second and measure every meter of the Ecuadorian race walker’s performance, which had become a major surprise of the event.
The bell rang announcing the last 2 km-lap of the competition, and the excitement grew among the thousands of Ecuadorians, who at that moment realized what was occurring. The end was approaching, and the Ecuadorian not only fought against fatigue, but against a "Russian missile" and a Mexican cowboy, who with his wide sombrero obstructed the path of our countryman. But much greater was love of country and the will to give one's of the best achievements on history for Ecuador. With an extraordinary effort and the aid of the Divine, we saw how he left his rivals behind, creating a solid lead with less than 1,000 meters to go.
Enthusiasm, emotion, passion, patriotism were apparent in every stride of the Ecuadorian, narrated from Atlanta by a sports caster, his voice choked with emotion. The final meters were infinite, seemingly eternal. But what became eternal, however, were the images of the Ecuadorian crossing the finish line, consecrating him the youngest Olympic champion in the history of the event. It was also the most important sports triumph in the history of Ecuador. For this reason, years later he was elected the Best Sportsman of the Century, and the 26th of July was declared "Ecuadorian Sports Day" by the government of Ecuador.
Today, 10 years later, that epic event is still remembered that marked the before and after in the history of Ecuadorian sports -- a history shaped by four words.........Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada.
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