10/28/24, 9:13 PM Rhea Bullos Wins Race In Sneakers Made of Bandages
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11-Year-Old Rhea Bullos Goes Viral
Winning Race With Shoes Made of
Bandages
Track athlete in the Philippines won 3 medals after competing in
makeshift "sneakers" featuring a hand-drawn Nike swoosh.
By Arielle Tschinkel | Updated on September 8, 2024
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/SKYNESHER
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10/28/24, 9:13 PM Rhea Bullos Wins Race In Sneakers Made of Bandages
Rhea Bullos, an 11-year-old track athlete from the Philippines, went
viral after competing in a local inter-school running meet. Bullos
won three gold medals at the Iloilo Schools Sports Council Meet on
December 9, 2019: 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter
competitions, according to CBS Sports. She didn't make the internet
rounds strictly because of her track triumphs; Bullos earned her
medals while running in homemade "sneakers" made only of
plaster bandages, as seen in a series of photos shared on Facebook
by her trainer, Predirick Valenzuela.
The young athlete beat her competition — many of whom were in
athletic sneakers (though some also wore similar makeshift shoes)
— after running in shoes made of bandages taped around her
ankles, toes, and tops of her feet. Rhea Bullos even drew a Nike
swoosh on the top of her foot, along with the athletic brand's
namesake on the bandages lining her ankles.
People from around the globe took to Valenzuela's Facebook post
to cheer Bullos on. "This is by far the best thing I have seen today!
This girl is truly an inspiration and has definitely warmed my heart.
From the look of it she was unable to afford runners but she turned
it into a positive and won!! Go girl," wrote one person.
Several others shared the story on Twitter and Reddit, tagging Nike
to request the brand send Bullos and her fellow runners athletic
gear for their next race. "Someone start a petition to Nike for ALL 3
of these girls to receive a lifetime of free Nikes for them and their
families," tweeted one person.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Rhea Bullos' trainer expressed
his pride in the athlete. "I'm glad she won. She worked hard to
train. They only get tired when training because they don't have
shoes," Valenzuela told the news outlet of Bullos and her
teammates.
Shortly after the story picked up steam, Jeff Cariaso, CEO of the
basketball store, Titan22 and head coach of the Alaska Aces (a
professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball
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10/28/24, 9:13 PM Rhea Bullos Wins Race In Sneakers Made of Bandages
Association), took to Twitter to ask for help in contacting Bullos.
Sure enough, Joshua Enriquez, who said he knew Bullos and her
team, connected with Cariaso.
In case your heart hasn't already exploded over this story, it seems
Rhea Bullos scored some new gear. Earlier, The Daily Guardian, a
tabloid newspaper in the Philippines, tweeted photos of Bullos at a
shoe store in a local mall trying on brand-new kicks (apparently she
also scored some socks and a sports bag).
Rhea Bullos undoubtedly tested her new sneakers on the track, and
it seems she'll have plenty of support from both her shoes and her
many fans around the world when she's ready to hit the pavement
next.
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