Market: San Francisco
Athlete: Justin Nunez, TPG Capital

It has been ten years almost to the day since I lost my grandmother to ovarian cancer. She was the first person I was close to that lost her life to this horrible illness. Four years after she passed, I still found myself thinking about her and struggling to find ways to honor her life. This was when I was first introduced to the The D10 – an event that not only allowed me to compete with talented professionals in finance, but also dedicate my efforts to this special woman, as well as the countless others that continue to battle this disease.

Thinking back on my time competing in The D10 when it was still referred to as The Wall Street Decathlon, I remember replaying the same story my grandmother would always tell me about my great grandfather, Duncan White. Duncan is somewhat of a folk hero in Sri Lanka. He was the first Sri Lankan to ever win a medal for his country in an Olympic event, having won silver in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1948 London Games. As the legend goes, Duncan was leading the entire race, but kept looking over his shoulder to see where the rest of the competition was. In one final look back over his right shoulder, he was passed on his left and ultimately finished second. This story always made me laugh because no matter what sport I was about to play as a child, my grandmother would always say to me in a firm Sri Lankan accent, “Don’t look back like Duncan!”

Heading into the final event in 2011, I was sitting in third place with just the 800-meter run left to complete. I can vividly remember my then-girlfriend and now-wife, Denielle, crunching the numbers and telling me exactly how many seconds stood between me and a first place finish. As we took our places on the starting line, my heart was pumping at wildly inappropriate levels. I wondered briefly if that was how my great grandfather felt when he lined up in 1948. When all was said and done, I walked away with the title of Wall Street’s Best Athlete – a moniker I am still proud of to this day.

While celebrating that moment with my family was special, I know my grandmother and Duncan were thrilled to see that I didn’t look back!

I am now excited to step back onto The D10’s field this October when I once again tackle the 10 events for all the same reasons.

Bring It,
Justin