Bruno: running for the future

In the biggest Brazilian cities, many poor children and young involves themselves with the drug traffic as a form to gain money. Bruno Pacheco was one of them.

He worked for some time in a point of sell of drugs doing its security. One day, the 16 years old boy heard shoots a few meters close him. His cousin, who commanded the traffic in the area, on one of the favelas on the region of Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, arrived and told to Bruno that one of his best friends had died defending the point. Later, he called the boy: "Go down now. If I see you here of new, you´ll be bad. Now I want to see your face in the newspaper".

Bruno´s cousin did not saw, but, three years later, Bruno Pacheco appeared in newspapers, but due on his realization in sport: he ran the 4x 100m running of Brazil´s Athletism Great Prize, on 5th May, besides Fernando dos Reis and the two brazilian famous athletes awarded in Olimpiada, Claudinei Quirino and Andres Domingos. Bruno crossed the end line in first place, guaranteeing the gold medal for Brazil.

Between these two moments of Bruno´s life, one of actual biggest promises of national sport, was the athletism coach Alexandre Reis. Reis perceived Bruno´s potential in 1997, when he saw him running in a school competition in the poor neighborhood of Duque de Caxias, where the boy was born. "He was in second, although running bare-footed. But I already had perceived in the heating that it dislocated itself with much rapidity and the muscle favored. His determination also called me attention ".

Alexandre got him for training and after one year of daily work, the results had started to appear. They had been four bronze medals in the Brazil Infanto-Juvenil Cup in 1998. On the following year, the boy impressed the way it atletismo in the Aída Match Dos Santos. He won 100m, 200m and 400m, with ample advantage on the other runners, showing that he did not give more to follow competing only between the youthful ones.

But he was at this moment that Bruno started "to be exquisite", according to Alexandre. "Hedid not come more to train all day. And become to have an aggressive behavior... ", counts him. Bruno girfriend, Priscilla, explained everything to the coach: the youngster was inside the traffic, helping in the point of drugs that a cousin commanded. "His father lost the work. His mother was day-worker. The family was in difficulties ", explains Alexandre.

Bruno, that at this time gained R$ 200 of sponsorship of the City hall of Caxias, explains that money wasn´t the only cause for the option for the traffic. "I wanted easy life. Atletismo is full of difficulties, you have to train all day. I spoke with my cousin that I was running and did not get success. He spoke: If you want, stay here. I started right that time".

Bruno then started to earn better. But it wasn´t so good. "Money that enters easy, leaves easy. I spent it all with bullshit", explains him, who says doesn't like drugs. The illusion lasted little. Soon, Bruno perceived that he did not have vocation for that business. "One day you talk with someone, a fellow. On next day, this person dies. It is hard... and every time a partner goes arrested..."

Everything started to get worse when Bruno was kidnapped by a police group. His mother started to tear up the money that he brought for house. Coach Alexander decided then to do something. "I spoke with the staff in Caxias, but the responsible for the Olimpic Village went to leave vacation. He spoke me that later he would decide the problem. But When he came back, Bruno already could be dead! Then, I looked the Solange Chagas (coordinating of atletismo of the Vasco) and she said me: Pode to bring the boy." Alexandre went to the favela, talked with Bruno´s cousin and obtained his leaving of traffic.

Today Bruno continues without making too much plans. "In hundred that enter where I entered, one or two I only leave. I am now already gaining more or less what I earned in the traffic and I am travelling a lot. When I would imagine that I would divide a room with great athlete Claudinei Quirino? I already joked with him saying that, if he become slow, I´ll catch him. If I train, the results comes".

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