Champions!

Two 16-year-old athletes, co-winners of the national cross-country final in their category, demonstrate values ​​that make them human

Màxim Valencia and Guillem Cuartero, arriving at the finish line as winners. Photo: Albert González Farran / UCEC

I often hear that today's youth show a serious lack of values. New generations seem to be lost, without references, with habits marked by social networks that promote narcissism. I suppose there is truth in this, but there are also episodes that invite us to optimism, like the one last Sunday at the Ramon Bellmunt stadium in Arbeca. Humanity is not lost.

We are at the national final of Cross Country of the School Sports Games of Catalonia for this 2024-2025 school year. The protagonists of this story are two young boysm, both 16 years old. Their names are Màxim València, from Perelló (in Baix Ebre), and Guillem Cuartero, from AEE Manuel Blancafort from la Garriga. Both headed the final stretch of their race on Sunday morning, just over two kilometers long. A final sprint was to decide who would take the gold medal. There was one last effort left to find out the winner. But it didn't happen that way. History took a turn to end well. The two, in a gesture of complicity, held hands to cross the finish line together and share the victory.

Finally, the victory was given to Màxim València just for few thousandths of a second, but for the young runners, they both arrived first.The image of the athletes raising their hands together is unparalleled. It is doubly heartening to see two winners celebrating not only victory, but an act of pure humanity, which reminds us that in this world of madness, injustice, cruelty, misery and conflict we are only passing through.

Images like this should remind everyone, both the older generations and those yet to come, that another humanity is possible. In fact, only this humanity is possible to guarantee our survival.