The parents of world champion Irving Saladino said Sunday that they trust on the next triumph of their son at the Olympic Games of Beijing 2008.
"From the Olympic Games we are going to bring a gold medal. Yes, that is a fact," father of Saladino, David Saladino said during an interview broadcasted Sunday at the TV channel Canal TVMax.
"I think the first jump of Irving will be over the 8.50m and from there anything could happen," David Saladino said.
Irving Saladino, 25, will compete on Aug.16 in Beijing. Saladino achieved a long jump of 8.57m during the World Cup of Athletics in Tokyo, Japan, and won the gold medal.
Mother Cristina de Saladino said that Irving will achieve the victory in Beijing.
"The first thing he has to do is to entrust God, to make thing with calmness to concentrate," Cristina de Saladino said.
"He used to go and not to train. I told him, look Irving if you are not going to follow that, you will have to work to pay your education, because I'm not going to have you here in the house doing nothing," David Saladino said.
According to the parents, Irving was a mischievous child as any other; he liked soccer and baseball, and strangely he did not show any preference towards athletics.
"When he was attending elementary school, the competitions he did, did not take his attention," Cristina de Saladino said.
The father said that Irving's passion for athletics began when Irving competed for the first time during a school tournament and he represented the city of Atlantica de Colon and won.
After some victories and good marks at national lever, Irving was called to compete in an international tournament. He represented Panama in El Salvador, Guatemala and Jamaica, where he showed his great capacity.
"To represent his country in a competition and to win a medal was something great for him," Cristina said.
Both parents get excited when they remembered that their son became world champion in long jump with a distance of 8.57m in Tokyo 2007.
(Xinhua News Aency August 11, 2008)