As sports go, it is rather old, quite boozy and a tad explosive. It involves trying to hurl a disc into a tube surrounded by small bags of gunpowder.
Tejo was first made popular by an indigenous people in Colombia called the Muisca, but is still played by thousands of enthusiasts in the South American country’s Andean region.
The atmosphere is festive since drinking beer during competitions is common, and players and spectators alike enjoy local delicacies like beef tripe stuffed with rice.
Photo: AFP
The disc, or tejo, is thrown from about 16 to 18m away at a metal tube sticking out of a clay-covered board angled at about 45o.
Around the hole are four triangular pouches of gunpowder.
The highest score is given for getting the disc in the hole and exploding a pouch along the way.
Lower scores come from just scoring a detonation or getting the thing in the hole, or at least getting it close.
The game ends when a player or his or her team — the game can be played one-on-one or by teams of two players each — reaches 27 points.
“I play every weekend with my friends,” Javier Borda said.
He celebrates every gunpowder pop joyfully, as if it were a goal in soccer.
Borda, is of medium stature and has a hefty build, but is agile as he throws the disc.
“It is a sport that was played by the indigenous peoples that lived in what are today the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyaca” in central Colombia, historian and tejo buff Luis Moreno said.
Both men and women play. As in a discus throw, there is a rule as to how much of a running start players can get — no more than 2.5m.
The game is just half the fun. A carnival atmosphere fueled by beer and food surrounds the players, who are watched by boisterous crowds.
“Here, you make friends, drink some beer, enjoy the afternoon, get dirty with the clay and forget your problems for a day,” said Roberto Alayon, who takes pride in his aim.
Inviting spectators to join him in downing a beer from a case at his feet, he said he has had runs of 15 straight good shots in which he either got the disc in the hole, hit an explosive pouch, or both.
If none of those feats is achieved, a point goes to the player who hits closest to the hole.
The game is played in rural areas and in cities in Colombia.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
‘HELLA ENERGY’: Minnesota’s 42-point victory set a club record for points in a playoff game, but the team have to keep up their momentum to stay in the series, Edwards said Anthony Edwards on Saturday night scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists. while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. However, moments after the 42-point win, Minnesota were determined to forget all about it. Such is life in the NBA playoffs. “You’ve got to erase this one,” Edwards said. “This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
RSS