César Rodríguez’s Unforeseen Withdrawal at Paris 2024 Olympics: Health Issues Cut Short His 20KM Race

The unusual reason why César Rodríguez withdrew from the event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Not every day is good, and César Rodríguez is proof of that. The Peruvian race walker prepared for his participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but he never thought that an unforeseen event would happen to him during the competition. It was not a good day for the Peruvian athlete, as he started his participation in the 20 KM men’s race walk with some issues.

At the beginning of the race, he received some warnings for technical issues that ultimately took him out of the leading pack. Then, he decided to withdraw after covering about 15 kilometers unexpectedly. This surprised everyone who was watching his performance; however, the athlete from ‘Team Peru’ explained what really happened. He stated that he started experiencing stomach pain so intense that he could not bear it.

“I didn’t feel well; stomach problems prevented me from being at my best. I feel bad about myself; I had trained hard and was confident I could improve my time, but I wasn’t feeling well. My stomach began to hurt, and I feel bad about myself,” declared César Rodríguez, moved, in an interview with ATV.

The Olympic athlete deeply regretted not finishing the race and did not stop apologizing to all Peruvians. Nevertheless, he assured that he will give his all in his next competition, which will be in the relay race alongside Kimberly García.

“I want to apologize to the Peruvians; those who criticize me are right because I didn’t perform well. I have trained so much, but these things happen. To those encouraging me, I want to say thank you, and in six days, I will try to redeem myself. I want to thank the Peruvians who took the time to wake up to watch us,” he said.

César Rodríguez competed in the 20 KM race walk event at Paris 2024.

Not everything was bad for ‘Team Peru’ as Evelyn Inga managed to raise the country’s name: she finished in eighth place in the women’s 20 KM race walk at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The national race walker achieved a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 16 seconds, had a good performance, and even found herself among the top five, but unfortunately, she could not maintain that position. Still, she placed in the top spots and ended up in eighth place globally, earning an Olympic diploma.

“I am truly very happy, always giving glory and honor to God for bringing me to this significant event. Everything is different. I came mentally prepared to treat it like just another championship. Since I arrived in Paris, I have enjoyed it to the fullest. Hard work and discipline have brought me here,” said an excited Inga in an interview with ATV.

In addition, Evelyn highlighted the efforts of her teammates who unfortunately did not achieve the results they expected. Kimberly García placed sixteenth in the competition and Mary Luz Andia finished twelfth.

“All the athletes are separated by seconds, so anyone could spring a surprise. We are all prepared. Nothing surprises me; they are all strong and worthy of respect. We dreamed of a medal, but we gave it our all. Be proud of us. We are also not happy when things don’t go as planned, but we left it all out there,” she emphasized.

The Peruvian earned the Olympic diploma and was very emotional. (Video: Claro Sports)

The Peruvian athlete will have to quickly turn the page as he must focus on his next event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. César Rodríguez will compete in mixed relays alongside Kimberly García this Wednesday, August 7, at 00:30 hours Peru time. The competition will be broadcast on ATV, the open channel that holds the broadcasting rights for the international tournament, and will cover it on channel 9.