RIO DE JANEIRO.— For the second day in a row (August 16) Cuba saw another of its wrestlers ascend the podium, however on this occasion Yasmani Lugo (98kg) left the mat with a silver medal, an honorable achievement by an athlete committed to giving his best performance in the world’s largest sporting event.
That morning, after winning the three bouts which led him to the competition final, he passed by me, notably emotional, unable to speak through tears, finally departing without having said a word. “It was a moment of relief; I remembered all the competitions in which I had failed to achieve a great result, although I always felt well prepared, just as I do now. With the silver in the bag I said to my self, at last, it was a very emotional moment for me,” he stated after the medal presentation ceremony.
“In regards to the final I can only say that just like the qualifiers, I went out there to give it my all against the best man in my division. Artur Aleksanya is very strong, a rock, I knew it was going to be difficult to score points against him in the bottom position,” he stated.
Asked whether he had any real chance against the formidable Armenian he replied: “You go out to fight and as long as you are competing there’s a chance. That’s what I did against every opponent, I never gave up, I defeated the Olympic champion of four years ago, the Iranian Ghasem Rezaei, here in my second fight. This gladiator is also the current world number two. That’s when I knew that no one was going to topple me from the podium.”
How does it feel to have won silver?
Imagine, an achievement like this is what every athlete aims for, their recognition, I’m pleased not only for me but because I ended what my team mates Ismael Borrero and Mijaín López began with their victories, Cuba’s Greco-Roman wrestlers clinched the top spot by nations (medal chart) for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games.
In regards to his team mates Lugo stated that “Ismael gave us the first one (medal) and lit the spark, creating a positive atmosphere among us. When Mijaín completed his feat, I said that I also had to do mine. Having Mijaín is a blessing for any wrestling team. I train with him, I try to hold him and if I do, even for just a few seconds, I can do it against anyone because he is the best in the world.
Lugo maintained a clean scorecard throughout his journey to the podium; defeating Di Xiao of China (2-0), Rezaei (4-0) – arguably his best performance of the competition – and finally Sweden’s Carl Schoen (3-0).
Given a relatively weak offense, his tactical plan consisted of an active defense, thus preventing his rivals from scoring points against him, as well as enabling him to pacify them. His effective work on the outer edge of the circle saw him earn valuable points with back steps and grapples forcing his opponents off the mat.
Then came the time for thanks, with Lugo expressing his gratitude to each of his coaches. “Julio, Puig, Mario, Ulacia, Raúl Trujillo, current head technical coach starting only nine months ago and Pedro Val, an experienced trainer of many years with the national squads, have a lot to do with this victory,” he noted.
And of course without forgetting his family; Leonela, his mother, and Rafael, his father, who must “be so overjoyed, those tears from the morning that you reminded me about, also contained the emotion of doing them proud.”
