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.