Race 4 Eight Legends – Where Are They Now
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 6/20/23
We love our favorite Race 4 Eight pros, but they eventually stop hitting aces and kill shots and retire. The WPH is thrilled to bring you the Race 4 Eight Legends – Where Are They Now, as we catch up with what our favorite pros are doing in their Race 4 Eight retirement.
On Edition 2 of the Race 4 Eight Legends – Where Are They Now, we catch up with one of the game’s most exciting and captivating legends, former R48 #1 Mando Ortiz to discuss his life since he retired from the Race 4 Eight tour and if ever feels the itch to return to the game’s bright lights.
Mando Ortiz is a two-time Race 4 Eight champion and former R48 #1 with the lowest kills shots ever seen on the Race 4 Eight. Possessing one of the most electrifying games in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour, Mando Ortiz transitioned from junior star to pro star when he defeated then WPH #1 Allan Garner as a teenager. Ortiz would become the first player to defeat Paul Brady twice on the Race 4 Eight tour, becoming the top-ranked player in the sport in 2016. Mando’s last Race 4 Eight start came in 2018. After retiring from the tour, Mando started a family with his fiancé, as the couple are proud parents of a three-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl.
Mando now lives in Whittier, CA about seven miles from his childhood home in Norwalk, CA.
“Currently I’ve been working and being a family man, and have two beautiful kids,” stated Ortiz. “I’m working underground construction, same thing I’ve always done, just growing and learning with the company.”
Mando still plays handball once or twice a week, depending on his schedule. A current ranked R48 pro made the humbling mistake of calling the former R48 #1 out on social media, prompting Mando to open the bagel factory, serving two bagels in two games. He’s still got it.
Mando was recently seen at June’s Santa Ana Handball Club’s JR WPH Tournament and Doubles Fundraiser alongside SAHC’s founder Gilbert Granado at Southern California’s Buena Park. “Mando looks as fit as he did when he was number one,” stated the WPH’s Dave Vincent. “He looks like he would beat a lot of the top pros right now.”
Mando would not close the door on a comeback. “I would definitely love to come back,” stated Mando. “Just have been focused on my family. I love my handball family as well, just waiting for the time to come back.”
Handball fans would be thrilled to see the electrifying Ortiz back on the tour.
Stay tuned for more Race 4 Eight Legends.
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer