Mathieu Warnier, Media365: published on Sunday January 19, 2025 at 4:25 p.m.
Crowned Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021, Richard Carapaz keeps his non-selection for Paris 2024 in his throat and calls on his national federation to make things happen.
Richard Carapaz has not forgotten. In 2021, the Ecuadorian runner won the Tokyo Olympics road race on the Fuji circuit alone. Three years later, he was unable to defend his title at Paris 2024. In fact, the Ecuadorian Cycling Federation (FEC) preferred to entrust Jhonatan Narvaez with its only quota for the event in the end. won at the foot of the Eiffel Tower by Remco Evenepoel ahead of Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte. On the sidelines of the presentation of his program for the 2025 season, which will see him participate in the Giro and the Tour de France, in which he should seek to defend the polka dot jersey won last year, the rider of the EF Education team -EasyPost returned to its dispute with its national federation. If he assures that he has “no differences with Jhonatan Narvaez”, the native of El Carmelo once again criticized the “stupid rules” which did not allow him to put his Olympic gold medal back into play on the road .
Carapaz: “I hope the federation will call me”
“It must be a serious federation, there must be no favoritism, and new regulations must be drawn up,” added Richard Carapaz. We have a lot of work to do in Ecuador, we are ten or twelve years behind schedule. » He also calls on public and sporting authorities to “encourage people to practice this sport”. If he will launch his season at the beginning of February at the Etoile de Bessèges and will be expected in Paris-Nice before heading to Italy, the Ecuadorian runner will skip his championship national, which he has already won in 2023. On the other hand, he intends to defend the colors of his country on the circuit traced around Kigali on September 28 during the world championships, he who had to give up went to Zurich last year for personal reasons. “I hope the federation will call me,” he told the press. There are still seven months left, the federation has a lot of work to do this year, even if its management leaves something to be desired. We hope to have that conversation in September and have everything we need to be able to compete for a medal. »
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