No one even knew who he was. But he forced triple olympic king to break his own record (and world record) in order to beat him. The battle was to the end, check out the effort faces at the final shot anywhere. The story here isn´t Usain Bolt, but the one of Alonso Edward, a 19 year old from Pedro Miguel, Panama.
Alonso Edward´s record was not only for Panama but for the entire South America.
From Panamanian father and Jamaican mother, Alonso Edward is the third of four brothers. The younger, Mateo, is also a runner for 100 and 200 meters. He was born in Pedro Miguel, near the Canal area and his first teacher in athletism was Gilberto Sanchez. Antonio Bernard trainned him later and finally Cecilio Woodruf who was his mentor until last year when he travelled to the States to study at Barton County College and receive trainning from Matt Keane. It was his mother, Margaret, who interested the boy in athletism, as she was also a runner herself back in Jamaica.