World champion in the 4x400 relay and Pan American runner-up in the 800 meters, Rose Mary Almanza, will be next season under the command of Nelson Gutiérrez, one of the most prestigious athletics coaches in the continent and the architect of the successes of sprinters from Colombia and Ecuador.

Cali, November 29 (RHC)-- World champion in the 4x400 relay and Pan American runner-up in the 800 meters, Rose Mary Almanza, will be next season under the command of Nelson Gutiérrez, one of the most prestigious athletics coaches in the continent and the architect of the successes of sprinters from Colombia and Ecuador.

At 29 years of age, the Camagüey native had her best season in 2021 under the guidance of Cuban Francisco Ayala - who also trains in Guatemala - by lowering her personal best to 1.56.28 min, winning several races in Europe and being part of the 4x400 relay world champion in Poland.

But when it came down to it, at the Tokyo Olympics, he again fell short of expectations, failing to make it past the second round in the double oval lap.

"We hope to achieve a world medal in Eugene. Rose Mary is an athlete with athletic mastery. We want to improve her relative speed, especially in the first 400", said Gutiérrez in declarations to Radio Habana Cuba in the Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali, where the first Junior Pan American Games will start this Tuesday.

At the end of the 90s in Cuba, Gutierrez trained figures such as 800 m world champion Zulia Calatayud, and other 400 m Pan American medalists, while in Ecuador he was consecrated with the Olympic subtitle of Anthony Zambrano, and with medals at the highest level of Alex Quiñonez and Angela Tenorio.

Based several years ago in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, Gutierrez said that Almanza has just arrived in the South American country and has already started the preparation about a month ago for the world championship.

"It is a privilege that she has chosen me (as coach). She wanted to finish her sports cycle with me," said Gutiérrez and acknowledged the work done with Almanza by her colleague Francisco Ayala.

Almanza's arrival in Ecuador has the approval of the Cuban athletics authorities.

In addition to lowering his mark to 1.56.28 and winning gold in the world relay, Almanza has other achievements on his record, such as four titles in regional Games, the world university title in Taipei-2017 and silver in the Pan American Games in Lima-2019.