Aron Earl, the sprinter aiming for the U20 World Cup

At 19 years old, Aron Patrick Earl Sáenz is the most important sprinter that Peru has today and one of the outstanding cards that our country will present in the U20 Athletics World Cup, which will be held at the Athletic Stadium of the National Sports Village on the 27th. to August 31.

The number one in the national ranking of the 100 meter dash has the minimum mark required by World Athletics for this event in the next World Cup in Lima. In the 2023 South American Seniors, held in Brazil, Earl set a time of 10.45 seconds and surpassed the 10.55 set by the highest world body of this sport by one tenth.

Far from settling, the athlete has confirmed conditions in 2024 that have seen him run below the World Cup bar again. At the I Bolivarian Youth Games he set a time of 10.51 seconds, his second personal best, to win the silver medal in the 100 meter dash. He also won the bronze in the 4×100 meter relay.

“I highly value the medals I won in the Bolivarians of Sucre, as well as the silver medal I achieved at the end of January in the 60-meter dash at the South American Indoor in Cochabamba. I feel that I am growing little by little and that encourages me to continue giving my best with a view to the U20 World Cup in Lima,” says Aron.

Convinced that everything is part of a process, Earl responds calmly when asked if breaking the absolute national record for the 100 meter dash (10.28 seconds), held by Andy Martínez since 2016, is a close goal for him. “Of course I want to break it, but I don’t put pressure on myself and I take it calmly, as part of a process,” he says confidently.

Aron got into athletics almost without trying. Every year, during the summer vacations, he enrolled in swimming classes at the IPD Sports Academy in San Juan de Lurigancho, but on one occasion he did not find a place and opted for another sport.

“Because I was fast, my mother recommended that I sign up for athletics. Although there was no place in that sport either, the teacher told me ‘pass a test and stay if I see fit’. “This is how my story in athletics began,” she says.

After trying several disciplines, such as long jump, triple jump and throwing, Aron’s talent for speed quickly exploded. “I remember that, with little training time, I won my first competition; That made me orient myself towards speed,” he adds.

Sports run through Earl Sáenz’s veins. His maternal grandfather, Narciso Sáenz, was a national runner-up with Juan Aurich in the late sixties, while Manuel Earl, a former player for Sporting Cristal and Alianza Lima, was his father’s first cousin. On his mother’s side there are also family ties with Waldir Sáenz, Alianza Lima’s historic scorer.

An admirer of Usain Bolt and a graphic design student at the San Ignacio de Loyola University, Aron is the owner of the U18 and U20 national records for the 100-meter dash. The first was set in the South American U18 of 2022, with a time of 10.64 seconds; The second was imposed last year in the South American Championship in Brazil, with 10.45 seconds. The previous prize in this category (10.51) was held by Andy Martínez since 2012.

On the way to the U20 World Athletics Championships, Earl Sáenz will have an important challenge in the U20 South American Championships that will be held in Lima between July 12 and 14. “I see it as a good opportunity in my preparation for the World Cup. I hope to continue improving my brand and go as far as possible to bring joy to my country,” he says.