El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Pablo Darancou
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome eight new members next Wednesday, one of them being Pablo Darancou.
Darancou was a cyclist who started competing in his early 20's. He later went on to win two National Senior Games cycling competitions on a 40-kilometer road race.
His son Pablo Darancou Junior also developed a strong passion for cycling. Junior was well-known for being an amazing competitive cyclist on an international and national level.
Tragically, Junior lost his life in 1984 when he was hit by a drunk driver while he was training.
Darancou continued to compete to carry out his sons legacy winning hundreds of medals but as he got older he had to put cycling to the side.
In 2018, Darancou passed away. However his daughter Julia Darancou keeps their memories alive.
"He was so well known, everybody looked up to him," Julia said. "My brother (Junior) started racing because of him. My dad had my brothers racing since they were little. Junior won races nationally and internationally. People speak about my dad so it's hard to live up to that but it's a great thing he left behind."
Julia is proud to know that her dad's legacy will forever be plastered on the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I know that they're great and wonderful but to have them be acknowledged is really nice," Julia said. "All his hard work paid off. My dad was very humble."
