{"id":807,"date":"2012-08-13T18:03:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-13T18:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/latino-catholic-runner-makes-history-at-olympic-games\/"},"modified":"2012-08-13T18:03:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-13T18:03:00","slug":"latino-catholic-runner-makes-history-at-olympic-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/08\/latino-catholic-runner-makes-history-at-olympic-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Latino Catholic runner makes history at Olympic games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Austin, Texas, Aug 13, 2012 \/ 12:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Forty-four years since the last victory by an American, Leonel \u201cLeo\u201d Manzano won an Olympic silver medal for the U.S. in the 1500-meter race, to the delight of his fellow parishioners at St. Ignatius the Martyr in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

\tBorn in Mexico and raised in the U.S., at five feet tall, Manzano caught the attention of the media first for his height and also for his habit of blessing himself and praying before competing.<\/p>\n

\tDuring the 1500 meter race on Aug. 7 at London's Olympic stadium, he stayed in second-to-last place for the majority of the event. But in the last 200 meters, Manzano sprinted past the entire group to claim the silver in the race's fastest time ever for an American athlete.<\/p>\n

\tManzano told ESPN that after crossing the finish line he fell down on the track to pray and thank God for the fruits of all his sacrifices and the long hours spent in training and competitions away from his home in Austin.<\/p>\n

\tWhen he is in Austin, Manzano attends Mass at St. Ignatius the Martyr Parish, where he gave a motivational talk to children at the local Catholic school last April.<\/p>\n

\tFather Bill Wack, the pastor of St. Ignatius, told CNA that the local Catholic community \u201cis proud of Leo \u2013 not only because he won a medal but also because he talks about his Faith and gives credit to God for his achievements.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe are anxious to welcome him back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tManzano told USA Today that during the race he \u201cfelt like I was 10th or 11th.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI knew I was in the back. I just kept praying, saying, 'Heavenly Father, help me. Push me. Give me the strength to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMy kick has always been there,\u201d he added. \u201cEver since I was maybe 12 years old, I've had this major gift from God. I guess sometimes it's just been kind of overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tManzano also spoke about his Mexican heritage and his love for America. \u201cThe U.S. is my home, and I wouldn't change it for anything,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my roots are still in Mexico. I love both countries. They both have a piece of my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFr. Wack told CNA that he kept in touch with Manzano via Twitter during his participation in the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDuring all of this I kept the congregation informed of our communications, and people in the parish were really pleased to know that he has worshipped here,\u201d the priest said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe schoolchildren were thrilled to watch his progress, and one of our third graders said, 'I am so glad I got his autograph when he was here. I know someone who has won an Olympic medal!'\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Austin, Texas, Aug 13, 2012 \/ 12:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Forty-four years since the last victory by an American, Leonel “Leo” Manzano won an Olympic silver medal for the U.S. in the 1500-meter race, to the delight of his fellow parishioners…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nLatino Catholic runner makes history at Olympic games<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Austin, Texas, Aug 13, 2012 \/ 12:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Forty-four years since the last victory by an American, Leonel “Leo” Manzano won an Olympic silver medal for the U.S. in the 1500-meter race, to the delight of his fellow parishioners...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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