In the world of athletics, Diego García Carrera is known for his endurance and his ability to keep an impeccable pace for 20 kilometers. But off the track, the European medalist is famous for something else: his astonishing resemblance to an adult film actor.
The comparison has followed him ever since his face started appearing in the media. Friends and strangers on the street have made the same comment to him. And for years, he smiled politely and changed the subject. Until one day, fed up, he decided it was time to speak out.
“I’m tired of having to hide my double life,” he wrote on Twitter and immediately tagged the actor Jordi, better known as “el Niño Polla.” The actor himself retweeted the message and joined in the joke.
The athlete’s followers, who for months had held back their urge to joke about it, came pouring out like a waterfall. “Can you run with 3 legs?” one user asked him. “The tricky part is being able to race walk with that hanging there,” another replied. “At last, it was about time you accepted it,” chimed in his teammate Álvaro Martín. And he laughed along with all of them, because he knew that was the best way to defuse any awkwardness.