Luanda - The sprinter Marcos dos Santos was honored Tuesday by the club he represents, Petro de Luanda, after qualifying for the second round of the 100m in the Olympic Games, held at the Saint-Denis Stadium in Paris (France).
The athlete clocked 10.31 in the preliminaries, a mark that represents a new national record in this category.
The previous record of 10.42, which he also holds, was set this year in South Africa.
In a festive atmosphere, the auditorium of the club's headquarters was filled with leaders, family members, teammates and staff, all invited to watch the video of the race, in which the Angolan was second in his series, beaten only by Christophe Borzor, from Haiti (10.26).
In the second round, the country's fastest athlete (100m) clocked 10.40, a time that earned him seventh place, thus missing out on the semi-finals.
In his speech, the president of Petro de Luanda club, Tomás Faria, praised the 20-year-old athlete's achievement, pointing out that Marcos dos Santos now belongs to an elite group in Angola, as a result of investment made over the years.
He explained that having an athlete in Paris Games had always been one of his team's projects, which resulted in the sprinter taking part in international competitions, most recently the Meetings in South Africa and Brazil.
He added that the current objective is to prepare the sprinter to achieve qualifying time for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles (USA) in 2028, without, however, guaranteeing the period when the work will begin or the possible countries for preparation.
Marcos Santos on his turn, said the achievement was the result of the club's support and that his desire is to make the Angolan people proud.
He promised to work to improve his marks and try to get the qualifying marks for Los Angeles, since this time he was participating in Paris Olympic Games thanks to an invitation.
The Angolan Olympic mission included women's handball, canoeing, rowing, judo and swimming. JAD/MC/AMP
