Day 5: in memory of "El Nenuco"

[mount_oregano]

Yesterday's bullfight in Pamplona opened with a minute of silence for Daniel Jimeno Romero, the runner who had died earlier that day in the encierro. The first bull of the afternoon was Capuchino, the animal that had killed him. The matador El Fandi fought it well, dedicating it to Jimeno, and earned an ear.

Jimeno, from Alcalá de Henares, a suburb of Madrid, ran often with the bulls both in Pamplona and in the "Little Pamplona" at San Sebastian de los Reyes, another suburb of Madrid. In yesterday's run, he had fallen near the fence and was trying to duck out under it when the bull came up from behind and gored him downward through the neck.

Medics pulled him under the fence, and a doctor was at his side within four seconds, but the horn had ripped open his lung and artery. He was taken to the hospital immediately for surgery, but nothing could be done.

Jimeno, 27, was known as El Nenuco, "the Little Baby," among his friends for his babyface. He went to Pamplona with his family to run with his friends, and his friends ran again this morning. "Es un encierro, ¿no?" one of them somberly told TVE when asked how he felt. "It's a running of the bulls, isn't it?"

Danger is constant. People can die. Even friends. That's an encierro. If you run, you accept that.

A section of fence next to where he died was covered with red scarves and sashes and flowers in tribute. (Photo from El País newspaper: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Multitudinario/quinto/encierro/Pamplona/elpepuesp/20090711elpepucul_1/Tes )

Today's run lasted 2 minutes 54 seconds, with bulls from the Dolores Aguirre Ranch. There were few injuries and no gorings. The most notable moment came toward the end when an idiot runner stupidly approached a bull, apparently to try to grab the horns. He deserved to be gored, but he only got a good thrashing.

You can watch the whole run, with commentary by Javier Solana (in Spanish) at:
http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20090711/limpio-emocionante-encierro-los-dolores-aguirre/542337.shtml

You can watch just the "imprudencia" in this 19-second video:
http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20090711/quinto-encierro-imprudencia-camino-del-callejon/542351.shtml

The slow-motion video at Cuatro TV, with background music, includes a tribute to Jimeno in the beginning, and strives to be more dramatic:
http://www.cuatro.com/sanfermines/videos/quinto-encierro-camara-lenta/20090711ctoultpro_5/

— Sue Burke