Yusef y Ramiro

Among the colourful and crumbling Baroque facades of Havana’s old town, a group of young boys bet cigar cards on which of them can race to the street corner the quickest. One of them is Yusef Fernandez Perez. And for him, running would become the defining narrative of his life. Despite family tragedy, a life-changing accident, and the need to support his passion with a string of side jobs, Yusef would continue to race. In a chance meeting in 2019, photographer & director Bas van Est found Yusef and his long-time trainer, Ramiro, preparing for the biggest moment of their lives as they looked to qualify for Tokyo 2020.