QCOSTARICA – A young man survived after jumping on his bicycle from the roof of an ice cream parlor and suffering a severe blow to the head Monday afternoon in Playa Jacó, Puntarenas.
He is Álvaro Esquivel, a 22-year-old athlete who is dedicated to BMX freestyle, whose objective is to perform extreme stunts and the reason for his jumping off the roof.
The young man said he was recording a video for Vital BMX.
He said that he had already taken several shots in different places in Jacó before the accident that went wrong because he lacked a bit of momentum.
“What happened was that I was about 10 centimeters short because I fell on the very edge of the sidewalk and it threw me back, then hit my head and was unconscious for almost a minute,” he said.
The athlete was lying on the road and his mother – who was there to support him – tried to help him until he regained consciousness and was then treated by paramedics and transferred to the Jacó clinic.
“Now I’m waiting for the results of some tests. I was a little dizzy, but I feel good thanks to God,” said the athlete.
Esquivel was not wearing protective equipment on this occasion and assured that it was not the only time that he has suffered a blow of this magnitude, but that he has never suffered a break or serious injury.
The young man complained of the reports in some media, not publishing the truth of what really was.
“The important thing is to give the truth of what was happening, because many people will take it as a madman who jumped off the roof just because, but no, it was a very important film.
“I use protective equipment depending on where I practice and it depends on the stunt I am going to do, although I know I must always use it,” he added.
The young man affirmed that this Monday’s mishap will not stop him and that in the coming weeks he will return recording the video for Vital BMX.
Esquivel is hopeful that his final video will get attention as did Monday’s video of his fall.
“So many achievements that I have had so far have never been viralized, but if one falls then yes,” he said.
Álvaro Esquivel has BMX in his blood and has been practicing it since he was 15 years old. He says that he has traveled to Panama 13 times to participate in various competitions and that in all of them he has been in first place.
He has also been to Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala, where he has won various awards for his stunts and skill on two wheels.
He currently lives together with his friend and teacher Kenneth Tencio (renowned Costa Rican BMX cyclist), in Jacó, where they both train daily.
