Anthony Zambrano's net worth: Colombian sprinter who struggled to buy sneakers bags 400m silver
Anthony Zambrano became Colombia's pride as he carved his name in the history of the Olympic Games by winning the silver medal in the 400-meter final at Tokyo 2020. The star athlete, who secured the podium finish with a time of 44.08 seconds, reportedly had a difficult life growing up.
With his stunning medal finish, Zambrano also became the first male athlete from Colombia to win an Olympic medal in an "Athletic speed event". Ximena Restrepo had previously won silver in the 400 meters test at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The first person to win a medal for Colombia was Caterine Ibarguen at the London 2012 Triple Jump. Ibarguen won gold in the same event in Rio 2016. That said, the winner of the 400m dash at Tokyo 2020 was Bahamian Steven Gardiner with a season-best time of 43.85 seconds. Meanwhile, Kirani James of Granada took home bronze with a time of 44.19 seconds.
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The emotional sprinter dedicated his medal to his mother Miladis Zambrano, saying, "I dedicate this medal to my mother as I spend most of the year away from her. She is my big motivation." Miladis, who was over 13,600 km from Tokyo, had woken up early and gathered at her neighbor's house to watch her son race the 400m final. The Zambranos' modest residence in Barranquilla does not have a subscription to Claro, the TV operator that airs the Games.
Anthony always dreamed big. He said, "Dreaming small is hypocritical. He explained how he dreamed on while painting with the broad brush and fixing cars. His hobby during the pandemic was to disassemble and re-assemble a motorcycle. There was a time he laid bricks and drove a rickshaw so he could afford a pair of snickers. He said the physical work shaped his quadriceps.
Anthony grew up without a father and had been pushed into athletics at school as an outlet for his excessive energy. Athletics soon became his primary passion. At age 15, he was noticed by technicians at a student competition. They offered him to move to Bogotá for training, and he ran so much in three years that he was at the Rio Olympics in 2016, participating in the 4x400 relay.
"I have great memories of training, of the sacrifices I made to win the medal. Everything I did was not in vain. I got ahead of where I lived and thus fulfilled my mother's dream," he said in an interview. "I told her, 'Mom, don't worry, that's what we're doing. And if you support me and my wife supports me, we will achieve all of our objectives, and all the goals are always met,'" he recalled. Anthony Zambrano currently trains in Quito with a group of 8 athletes, five Ecuadorians and two of his compatriots, led by Coach Nelson Gutiérrez, a Cuban who trained the Ecuadorian athletics team.