Puerto Rican athlete trades track for farm 2 minutes read
By Jorge J. Muñiz Ortiz
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, May 14 (EFE).- Jose Melendez, who holds the Puerto Rican record in the 20km race walk and hoped to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has swapped his track shoes for boots and a machete to work on the family farm here.
Several elements went into the decision, including an injury that kept him out of the 2019 Pan American Games and the birth eight months ago of his son, Liam.
“We are devoting ourselves to agriculture because I have a child to support and because sport didn’t provide me with enough to live and I needed economic support,” Jose told Efe Friday at the farm in the central town of Barranquitas that bears the name of his father, Luis Melendez.