J. Perez will compete in Italy and Spain before he retires. 
Ecuador, 20/08/2008. The race walker’s idea is to take advantage of the process of preparation he had for the Olympics. Jefferson Perez bid good-bye to competing at the Olympic Games and World Championships; nevertheless, given his condition as an elite race walker, his retirement from competition will be gradual.
According to Dr. Marco Chango, physician to the Olympic double medal winner (gold and silver), Perez cannot abruptly stop his sports activity. By telephone to EL COMERCIO newspaper from Beijing, Jefferson’s physician said that his training will continue for another year.
Specialists are acquainted with the gradual unloading of training volume that Perez will undergo in the coming months.
At the end of this year, he will take part in a 10 km race in Italy and another race of 20 km in Spain. Both are personal invitations. The three-time world champion considers bettering his world record of 01:17:21 this year to be a feasible possibility.
Chango said, “With a couple of months of training, he is capable of regaining his conditioning and attempting any goal he proposes.” He will decide, however, when and where to compete, although not as an official representative of his country.
In his last two days in Beijing, Perez is recuperating by doing 50-minute regenerative workouts, including light muscular and abdominal strength training.
In addition he is consuming abundant quantities of fruits and carbohydrates, such as pastas and rice.
His physician said that Perez entered the competition weighing 60.5 kilos and finished at 58 kilos. “He lost three to four liters of liquid.” Furthermore, he has joint pains in almost his entire body, another result of the overload of competition.
After completely retiring from competition, Perez will have to slowly decrease his training volumes. For example, his former training load was 175 km a week. A recommended load, therefore, would be 160, then 150 km, decreasing from there.
This process will last at least one and a half years. After that he will concentrate on recreational activities for three years. Otherwise he could suffer complications. The Olympic silver medalist has a slight osteoarthritis in his left knee and a herniated disc in the lumbar area of his spine.
Referring to his functional, physiological and cardio-respiratory condition, Chango emphasized that Perez has the body of a 25-year-old athlete.
The physician said that the results will be known today of the doping control of Valeriy Borchin, the Russian athlete who won the 20km event. “He was penalized with a one-year suspension for doping, and so it’s hard to speak of fair play. These persons use every possible weapon in order to win.”
On the other hand, Perez is a 100% natural athlete. His purity has been established over 20 years.” Perez announced that he would leave Beijing tomorrow for the United States, although that could change. His multidisciplinary team will arrive in Ecuador the 28th of this month.
Source: El comercio.com
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