At the second World Championships in a row, Guatemalan Luis Grijalva won a medal in the 5000 meters, once again placing fourth among the best in the world at that distance. Grijalva, who won the qualifying series on Thursday with a time of 13:32.72, had to improve that record not only in his search for medals, but also an A-grade at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
On a night in Budapest, Hungary, he appeared at the starting line with the confidence to achieve his goals and from the first throw, he aimed to place himself among the best. During the 12 and a half laps of the National Athletics Center stadium on the banks of the Danube, there were several escape attempts, but the attacks were neutralized until they reached the last ring road.
Grijalva was surrounded by other athletes with 200 meters to go, so in the last corner he had to open lane four to find a place that would allow him to advance, but, unfortunately, the lane was not enough. 22 hundredths of a bronze medal remained for him and him, which would be historical for the country. Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway took first place in 13:11.30, followed by Spaniard Mohamed Katir in 13:11.44. Bronze went to Kenyan Jacob Krop (13:12.28). The official time of the championship was 13:12.50.
The athlete’s mother spoke to the DCA
“I am very happy and proud of my son’s performance. We know that the weather conditions were unfavorable due to high temperatures, but he put in a lot of effort and is the fourth fastest in the world.‘ commented Maira Morales Mejicanos, Luis’ parent, as she answered the DCA call.
He expressed it “I always knew he would go far because he started in high school and never stopped training. As soon as I get a chance to talk to him, I’ll congratulate him.”, he emphasized with great excitement and pride.
