A one-legged police officer in Mexico City accepted a push-up challenge in front of the National Palace Friday and won.
The friendly competition occurred at a peaceful demonstration by gym workers whose workplaces have been closed since the coronavirus lockdown began.
As the workers engaged in some physical exercises as part of their demonstration, police looked on, triggering a challenge from a participant.
“I want to see obese and inactive police officers doing these exercises. I want to see who is in charge of security and whether they are physically prepared!” he shouted.
One police officer was happy to take up the gauntlet and the competition was on — a Mexico City traffic cop vs. one of the protesting gym workers.
¿Quien creen que gane el policía de tránsito o el joven que entrena en el gym? Se puso buena la competencia de lagartijas en el zócalo de la #CDMX pic.twitter.com/YKbiytJQYx
— Ricardo Rivera (@_ricardo_rivera) July 3, 2020
The competition would determine which of the two could do 50 push-ups first. As they squared off on the street the crowd initially cheered the muscular young man as he faced his opponent, a fully uniformed officer named Pablo Ramírez Lemus who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident seven years ago and wears a prosthesis.
The officer — a fitness coach for his squad — and the gym instructor started off at a good pace, clapping each other’s hands between each push-up, but the gym trainer’s rhythm began to fail after they reached 30, and he was barely able to make 50 before giving up.
Ramírez, however, breezed through 53 as onlookers, including his vanquished opponent, applauded and cheered.
One video of the competition posted to Twitter Friday had garnered nearly 4 million views by Saturday afternoon.
Officer Ramírez works out regularly with colleagues as he prepares to compete as a rower in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. The missing leg has not slowed him down in the least.
Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp), Infobae (sp), Proceso (sp)
