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As in. "Tempo" already wrote, our fellow citizen Georgi Popov recorded another great success in the triathlon - tenth place in the extremely difficult and attractive triathlon "Escape from Alcatraz". In this one-of-a-kind competition, participants play out an escape from the impenetrable Alcatraz prison, which is isolated on an island off San Francisco. We contacted Georgi Popov, who is currently in the United States and here is what he told specifically for the readers of the newspaper. "Tempo":
"We were divided into different starting groups, with some of us having personal invitations and being put in jail, while the others started the race from a big ship near the prison. In total, the participants were 1740, with 200 of us starting from prison. I had to go through a tunnel, then there was a stair climb and a sort of maze, but I got out very easily and I was the first to jump into the water from the prison walls.
At first it's a real shock because it's very high - as high as a 6-story building, and the water was very cold - only 9 degrees. Then we swam to San Francisco in the icy waters. First out of the water came me and world champion Chris McCormack. Unfortunately, I had a wheel failure during transportation, but I found out about it too late - my front tire was scraping at the brake and stopping me constantly. And so I finished cycling down the steep streets of San Francisco in 65th place.
Then I put everything I had into it and made a very good run and I was able to catch up on some of the loss. The run was along the beach, passing under the famous Golden Gate Bridge - the huge red bridge that connects two peninsulas over the Pacific Ocean. I finished in tenth place and this secured me an invitation to the Iron Man competition, which has never been done by a Bulgarian. The race is on September 18. Besides, I won a trip to the Bahamas. The first 10 men and women were awarded by former world triathlon champions with medals for "successfully escaped from Alcatraz". This race was unforgettable! Won five-time world champion Simon Lessing of Great Britain, and women's three-time world champion Michelle Johns of Australia. After the race, they announced that contestants from 23 countries participated.
I still feel like the prison is right in front of my eyes - it's something you don't forget and I'm ready to do it again."
We will cross our fingers to Georgi Popov for the new challenge he is taking on September 18 - the first Bulgarian to participate in Iron Men. Many friends and young triathletes wish him success from Velingrad, for whom the achievements of coach Velko Kleshkov's alumnus are a real example of high sports spirit.
Tempo