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Peruvian athletes Kimberly García and César Rodríguez concluded their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by competing in the race walking marathon, finishing in fourth place.
García and Rodríguez completed the competition in a time of 2:51:56, while the Australian duo Cowley - Montag secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:51:38.
Although the Peruvian pair finished just 18 seconds behind the bronze medal, they set a new Peruvian Olympic record.
After the race, César Rodríguez expressed a mix of pride and frustration. “We are thrilled to have seen so many Peruvians cheering for us, which gave us a huge boost.”
However, he also expressed dissatisfaction with the judging. “I am not entirely satisfied with the outcome. We finished fourth, despite aiming for a podium finish.”
Rodríguez further claimed that he received a warning from the jury during the competition, forcing him to slow down. “Unfortunately, this did not happen, and the judging, in my opinion, was not fair. The competition is like this. I tried to walk cautiously to avoid further warnings, but things didn’t always go as planned.”
Kimberly García, a two-time world champion, adopted a more conciliatory and grateful tone. “I gave it my all in this final competition. I am satisfied with my performance, but naturally, there’s a bittersweet feeling that we could have won a medal. We gave it our all.”