María Espinoza and Guillermo Pérez foster love for TKD in Mexico City.

▲ The Olympic medalists held a clinic yesterday at the Monument to the Revolution. Photo by Jair Cabrera Torres

Adriana Díaz Reyes

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 3, 2025, p. a11

María del Rosario Espinoza (3) and Guillermo Pérez (1), winners of four of the seven Olympic medals of Mexican taekwondo, led a clinic yesterday at the Monument to the Revolution, where they also gave their point of view regarding the involution of the discipline in summer competitions.

For just over an hour, the former national team players shared with hundreds of young athletes some important techniques and exercises in the development of new champions.

Wherever my discipline is needed, I'll be there. It's very important that we have these activities because we don't know if future medalists will come from here , said Espinoza, who received a tribute during the activity.

The winner of an Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medal acknowledged that she has many ideas to guide her sport toward excellence.

We're a little worried about the lack of results, so I'm willing to be part of a team that works for the athletes. With a lot of love and discipline, we can move forward, and we're on track for Los Angeles 2028.

Although it's one of the sports with the greatest government support, taekwondo hasn't made it onto the podium at a summer competition since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro edition; a crisis that, according to Pérez, stemmed from a lack of proper procedures in the youth categories.

"We must foster a love of taekwondo at a young age and monitor the careers of our athletes. Sometimes, when the transition from junior to senior level occurs, some good competitors are lost. There is talent in Mexico, but they need to be properly guided," commented Pérez, Olympic champion in Beijing 2008.

Also present at the clinic, sponsored by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), were two-time Paralympic medalist Juan Diego García, three-time world champion Carlos Sansores, and Parapan American champion Claudia Romero, among others.

For me, being here with my idols is a great opportunity, and I hope we can be an inspiration to many athletes. Being here reminds me of my beginnings and the dreams I had , shared Sansores, who is preparing for the World Championships in Wuxi, China.

On social media, Zoé Robledo, head of the IMSS, invited the public to join the activity.

It is a great opportunity to learn from the best, from those who have raised Mexican pride in the world and Olympic competitions , he published in X.

The clinic is part of the IMSS National Physical Activity Program for Health, designed to prevent chronic diseases and encourage sports practice from an early age.

National Championship

Meanwhile, during the second day of the National Athletics Championships at the CDOM, Miriam Sánchez won the 100-meter dash in a close duel with Olympian Cecilia Tamayo. The former clocked 11.28 seconds and the latter 11.35 seconds.

In the 10,000 meters, Isabel Oropeza and Margarita Hernández, already qualified for the World Championships in September in Tokyo, Japan, finished 1-2.

Juan Manuel Vázquez

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 3, 2025, p. a11

Cycling is a sport with an unparalleled logic. Rivals can support each other as if they were on the same team, and those who dominate a race don't always win.

That's what happened yesterday to Isaac del Toro, the Mexican who is steadily rising in the cycling elite. After holding the lead for almost the entire race in the San Sebastián Classic, on the final infamous climb just a few kilometers from the finish, his legs gave out, allowing him to stay in contention for victory, and he finished in a respectable fifth place in this one-day race.

Giulio Ciccone, an Italian vertical climber, took advantage of his improved ability to defend a position earned through experience and hard work to win the race in San Sebastian. For much of the 211 kilometers, he alternated with the Mexican from the UAE Team as if they were teammates, and they managed to gain up to a minute on the peloton.

On a one-day route, you attack from the start. The tactic is to be aggressive and try to position yourself at the top from the start. Del Toro performed this superbly in combination with his rival Ciccone. Both knew that only in this way could they build a scenario that would ultimately lead to a possible outcome in which they would embody two outlaws dueling.

But the plot offered an unexpected twist. The fearless duo of Del Toro and Ciccone faced the imposing Murgil-Tontorra, a wall designed to determine who is a mere mortal and who can approach, or at least touch, the category of heroism. Ten kilometers from the finish line in the city of San Sebastián, this mountain pass rises, with a slope of about 100 meters that could shatter your legs.

Ciccone set off with the ease of someone who knows how to dance on the pedals with a view to the precipice. Del Toro, also adept at climbing, lost steam and began to fall behind. Shortly before reaching the flat, eight kilometers from the finish, he fell out of the position he had held alongside the Italian. Then Swiss Jan Christen came out in pursuit, a kamikaze sent by the UAE Team to defeat Ciccone and help the Mexican regain his position.

Christen nervously looked around to see if Del Toro was approaching, but he couldn't catch them. Ciccone cruised across the finish line with a nine-second lead over the Swiss, with Belgian Maxim van Gils finishing third, 19 seconds behind the winner. Del Toro finished fifth, but put in a thrilling race.