Richard Carapaz recounts his life story: from being struck by a car to winning Olympic gold

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, recalled at the Banana Time Guayaquil 2026, organised by the AEBE, the discipline and perseverance it took to win gold at the Olympics—a goal he set after a car struck him during training at age 20 and told him he might never ride a bicycle again.

Speaking at the closing of Banana Time Guayaquil 2026, Latin America's largest banana industry convention, Carapaz explained that in 2014 he was hit by a car and doctors could not guarantee he would ever cycle again.

"The day I got back on a bicycle is etched in my mind: it was feeling free, being reborn, a new awakening. That was when I decided to be the greatest, because God had given me another chance to ride a bicycle," Carapaz said.

In 2016, he underwent a three-month trial with a team in Spain without financial compensation, a challenge he embraced despite apprehension, confident he could prove his worth, and he did, securing his first professional contract.

His opportunity to lead came in 2019 at the Giro d'Italia, the race he had always dreamed of winning. After crashing in the third stage, he took the initiative, directing his teammates to regroup and win Stage 4, a pivotal step toward his overall victory.

"The podium in Verona was something very beautiful, because right then I knew that missing so many special moments, like birthdays and anniversaries with my family, had been worth it," he said.

After the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carapaz arrived in Tokyo focused on winning. With 5 kilometers remaining, he held the race lead, "but you have doubts because you say, 'Something always happens to Ecuadorians.'" "That crossed my mind too," he admitted.

Claiming the gold medal felt like fulfilling his life's ambition. "Carapaz didn't become an Olympic champion overnight. It was an entire process, and that process is very important. It took 16 years of waking up early, training, eating the best possible way, and striving to be the best version of myself every day," he concluded.

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NAME: Alexandra Pacheco
TITLE: Head of Communications
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SOURCE AEBE