Latest news with #Mex
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ana Bárbara, Adriel Favela & Horacio Palencia Hope ‘Pase a la Fama' Gives Mexican Music ‘A Different Level of Visibility'
Pase a la Fama, Telemundo's new television series, is set to premiere on Sunday, June 8 featuring a star-studded panel of judges — Ana Bárbara, Adriel Favela and Horacio Palencia — and original music produced by Latin Grammy-winning hitmaker Edgar Barrera. During the show, participants will compete in a bootcamp-like setting where they will 'train, perform and face challenges,' according to a press statement, vying for a $100,000 prize, a record deal with HYBE Latin America and crowned the next regional Mexican band, which will comprised of five participants. More from Billboard Fuerza Regida's JOP, Gabito Ballesteros & Lupillo Rivera Join 'Pase a la Fama' TV Show Jon Bellion Was Tired of Songwriters Getting 'Paid F-king Dirt' - So He Flipped the Script With 'Father Figure' Elvis Crespo, Elena Rose, Kapo & More: Vote for the Best New Latin Music This Week 'The truth is that it's a project we put our hearts into,' Ana Bárbara tells Billboard during a conversation over Zoom, just days before competition kick off. 'I personally feel moved, excited, thrilled and I think it will be a great project.' The judges will be meticulous about who they choose as finalists. They must have 'discipline and respect for the audience and us as judges, all of those are ingredients that for me are very, very important,' Palencia says. 'In fact, I tell the new generation that, for me, discipline is actually even more important than talent, because sometimes it doesn't matter to have talent if you don't have discipline.' So, what were the main qualities the judges looked for? 'It's a band and, at the end of the day, I believe that there are many components that contribute to what brings success to a career,' Palencia adds. 'The [right] attitude, preparation and how they accept more than just criticism, but the constructive advice we give them,' Palencia adds. 'I believe that the winning band will genuinely work towards achieving all of those characteristics.' The show is set to premiere at a time when some música mexicana artists are facing bans in Mexico (if they sing narcocorridos in certain public settings) or visa delays and revocations in the United States. 'I had no idea that all of this could happen, which is both delicate and strong, yet sensitive, and definitely very sad,' Ana Bárbara says. 'Because it affects all of us in some way, it has an impact. We all admire the music of someone who is having problems for various reasons, beyond whatever the reason may be. This show will provide [Mexican] music with a different level of visibility.' The judges will also focus on emphasizing 'clean song lyrics and about love stories,' Favela says. 'It is nice to realize that music is giving us a chance to go beyond the musical aspect. To see our individual values, to see young people singing themes that, nowadays, I dare to say, are being lost, perhaps more and more. And that there is validity in rescuing all of this, which at the end of the day is the pure root of our Mexican essence.' It was previously announced that Lupillo Rivera, Fuerza Regida's JOP and Gabito Ballestero's will join the show as mentors. The first episode of Pase a la Fama will premiere Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on Telemundo. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
CBC
03-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
High-altitude Kenyan town adapts as Olympic champions, amateurs flock to rarefied air
As dawn breaks over the sleepy town of Iten, its dusty tracks come alive with packs of runners keeping rhythm, often followed by cheerful children headed to school. Some of the athletes are elite Kenyans. Others travel from farther afield. All are here because this unassuming little town lies at about 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) above sea-level and has produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world. To cater to the ever-growing interest from both professional and amateur athletes, hotels, lodges and short-stay rental apartments continue to spring up around the town, located 350 kilometres northwest of Nairobi. "I came to Kenya to feel this elite running community here," said Ryan Mex of Malta. Mex, a semi-professional runner and coach, brought three athletes with him to get a competitive edge ahead of Malta's marathon season. It's his first time here. "Next time I want to come with a larger group since we really like the training environment here," Mex said. "This is the best place in the world to come for a training camp." Town produces Olympic champions Iten is home to some 42,000 people, mostly subsistence farmers, and it has also been a temporary home to plenty of world champions, including two-time Olympic gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge (marathon) and David Rudisha (800m), both of Kenya. British four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah would train in Iten for months at a time. The town was declared a World Athletics Heritage Landmark in 2019 and proudly calls itself the "Home of Champions." 'You feel like you are flying' Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenyan-born three-time Olympian for the Netherlands, attended high school in Iten and now runs a training centre here for runners who want to up their game. "If you train at 2,400 metres, your lungs expand, your red blood cells increase, and so when you go to low altitude you feel like you are flying," explained Kiplagat, the 2008 world half-marathon champion. Amanal Petros, a top marathoner from Germany, spends six months at Kiplagat's center every year. Born in the Eritrean highlands, he was accustomed to running at high altitude but Iten's elevation isn't the only reason why he keeps coming back. "I've trained in many places in the USA and Europe," he said. "Organizing a training partner in Europe is not easy. But in Iten, the home of champions, wherever you go you find a lot of athletes who can train with you." Jean Paul Fourier opened the Kerio View Hotel in 2002 starting with a just few rooms. It now has capacity for 50 guests and includes a fitness centre. "I made a small investment and it has really grown," he said. The main season runs from April to September. "We see many foreigners flocking to not only my hotel but also neighbouring hotels. There are many hotels springing up around the area, but we still get our share of visitors," he said. Before the boom One man here still remembers what Iten was like before all this happened: Brother Colm O'Connell, former headmaster at St. Patrick's High School, whose alumni include Rudisha, Vivian Cheruiyot, Matthew Birir and Brimin Kipruto. O'Connell first came to Iten to teach in 1976. "It was just a scattering of houses and a school called St. Patrick's," he said. "That was really the starting point of what Iten eventually became, what we see today." The town's transformation started "when the sport became professional," he said. "Before that, athletes were confined to their place of work. But when professionalism came in, athletes could now sit down with their managers and with shoe companies and decide no, I can become a full-time career athlete." The rest, as they say, is history. O'Connell went on to transform the athletics program at St. Patrick's, and 25 of his students became world champions, some of whom came back here to run their own athletics programs. The town around the school boomed, as runners from all over the world discovered its training potential. O'Connell estimates that in peak season there are around 500 visiting runners in the town at any one time.
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
High-altitude Kenyan town Iten adapts as Olympic champions and amateurs flock to rarefied air
As dawn breaks over the sleepy town of Iten, its dusty tracks come alive with packs of runners keeping rhythm, often followed by cheerful children headed to school. Some of the athletes are elite Kenyans. Others travel from farther afield. All are here because this unassuming little town lies at about 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea-level and has produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world. To cater to the ever-growing interest from both professional and amateur athletes, hotels, lodges and short-stay rental apartments continue to spring up around the town, located 350 kilometers (217 miles) northwest of Nairobi. 'I came to Kenya to feel this elite running community here," said Ryan Mex of Malta. Mex, a semi-professional runner and coach, brought three athletes with him to get a competitive edge ahead of Malta's marathon season. It's his first time here. 'Next time I want to come with a larger group since we really like the training environment here,' Mex said. "This is the best place in the world to come for a training camp.' Town produces Olympic champions Iten is home to some 42,000 people, mostly subsistence farmers, and it has also been a temporary home to plenty of world champions, including two-time Olympic gold medalists Eliud Kipchoge (marathon) and David Rudisha (800 meters), both of Kenya. British four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah would train in Iten for months at a time. The town was declared a World Athletics Heritage Landmark in 2019 and proudly calls itself the 'Home of Champions.' Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenyan-born three-time Olympian for the Netherlands, attended high school in Iten and now runs a training center here for runners who want to up their game. 'If you train at 2,400 meters, your lungs expand, your red blood cells increase, and so when you go to low altitude you feel like you are flying,' explained Kiplagat, the 2008 world half-marathon champion. Amanal Petros, a top marathoner from Germany, spends six months at Kiplagat's center every year. Born in the Eritrean highlands, he was accustomed to running at high altitude but Iten's elevation isn't the only reason why he keeps coming back. 'I've trained in many places in the USA and Europe,' he said. 'Organizing a training partner in Europe is not easy. But in Iten, the home of champions, wherever you go you find a lot of athletes who can train with you.' Jean Paul Fourier opened the Kerio View Hotel in 2002 starting with a just few rooms. It now has capacity for 50 guests and includes a fitness center. 'I made a small investment and it has really grown,' he said. The main season runs from April to September. 'We see many foreigners flocking to not only my hotel but also neighboring hotels. There are many hotels springing up around the area, but we still get our share of visitors,' he said. Before the boom One man here still remembers what Iten was like before all this happened: Brother Colm O'Connell, former headmaster at St. Patrick's High School, whose alumni include Rudisha, Vivian Cheruiyot, Matthew Birir and Brimin Kipruto. O'Connell first came to Iten to teach in 1976. 'It was just a scattering of houses and a school called St. Patrick's,' he said. 'That was really the starting point of what Iten eventually became, what we see today.' The town's transformation started 'when the sport became professional," he said. "Before that, athletes were confined to their place of work. But when professionalism came in, athletes could now sit down with their managers and with shoe companies and decide no, I can become a full-time career athlete.' The rest, as they say, is history. O'Connell went on to transform the athletics program at St. Patrick's, and 25 of his students became world champions, some of whom came back here to run their own athletics programs. The town around the school boomed, as runners from all over the world discovered its training potential. O'Connell estimates that in peak season there are around 500 visiting runners in the town at any one time. 'We see fun runners, we have runners with personal goals, we have people running a marathon to fundraise," he said. "In other words, running is a sport for everybody and it has something to offer everybody.' ___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
High-altitude Kenyan town Iten adapts as Olympic champions and amateurs flock to rarefied air
ITEN, Kenya (AP) — As dawn breaks over the sleepy town of Iten, its dusty tracks come alive with packs of runners keeping rhythm, often followed by cheerful children headed to school. Some of the athletes are elite Kenyans. Others travel from farther afield. All are here because this unassuming little town lies at about 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea-level and has produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world. To cater to the ever-growing interest from both professional and amateur athletes, hotels, lodges and short-stay rental apartments continue to spring up around the town, located 350 kilometers (217 miles) northwest of Nairobi. 'I came to Kenya to feel this elite running community here,' said Ryan Mex of Malta. Mex, a semi-professional runner and coach, brought three athletes with him to get a competitive edge ahead of Malta's marathon season. It's his first time here. 'Next time I want to come with a larger group since we really like the training environment here,' Mex said. 'This is the best place in the world to come for a training camp.' Town produces Olympic champions Iten is home to some 42,000 people, mostly subsistence farmers, and it has also been a temporary home to plenty of world champions, including two-time Olympic gold medalists Eliud Kipchoge (marathon) and David Rudisha (800 meters), both of Kenya. British four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah would train in Iten for months at a time. The town was declared a World Athletics Heritage Landmark in 2019 and proudly calls itself the 'Home of Champions.' Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenyan-born three-time Olympian for the Netherlands, attended high school in Iten and now runs a training center here for runners who want to up their game. 'If you train at 2,400 meters, your lungs expand, your red blood cells increase, and so when you go to low altitude you feel like you are flying,' explained Kiplagat, the 2008 world half-marathon champion. Amanal Petros, a top marathoner from Germany, spends six months at Kiplagat's center every year. Born in the Eritrean highlands, he was accustomed to running at high altitude but Iten's elevation isn't the only reason why he keeps coming back. 'I've trained in many places in the USA and Europe,' he said. 'Organizing a training partner in Europe is not easy. But in Iten, the home of champions, wherever you go you find a lot of athletes who can train with you.' Jean Paul Fourier opened the Kerio View Hotel in 2002 starting with a just few rooms. It now has capacity for 50 guests and includes a fitness center. 'I made a small investment and it has really grown,' he said. The main season runs from April to September. 'We see many foreigners flocking to not only my hotel but also neighboring hotels. There are many hotels springing up around the area, but we still get our share of visitors,' he said. Before the boom One man here still remembers what Iten was like before all this happened: Brother Colm O'Connell, former headmaster at St. Patrick's High School, whose alumni include Rudisha, Vivian Cheruiyot, Matthew Birir and Brimin Kipruto. O'Connell first came to Iten to teach in 1976. 'It was just a scattering of houses and a school called St. Patrick's,' he said. 'That was really the starting point of what Iten eventually became, what we see today.' The town's transformation started 'when the sport became professional,' he said. 'Before that, athletes were confined to their place of work. But when professionalism came in, athletes could now sit down with their managers and with shoe companies and decide no, I can become a full-time career athlete.' The rest, as they say, is history. O'Connell went on to transform the athletics program at St. Patrick's, and 25 of his students became world champions, some of whom came back here to run their own athletics programs. The town around the school boomed, as runners from all over the world discovered its training potential. O'Connell estimates that in peak season there are around 500 visiting runners in the town at any one time. 'We see fun runners, we have runners with personal goals, we have people running a marathon to fundraise,' he said. 'In other words, running is a sport for everybody and it has something to offer everybody.'
