Luis Orta hits the mat with maximum adrenaline, in addition to being an intelligent young man who, at the age of 26, has already won two Greco-Roman wrestling gold medals in Pan American Games (2018 and 2019).
His Olympic qualification is a testament to his perseverance, since on the national stage he has always had a strong opponent in Javier Duménico, who is also among those aspiring to compete in Tokyo. Referring to his Olympic ticket, he noted, “I am one of the youngest, although the team as a whole is, too. I attended the qualifier in Ottawa, Canada, where I won a spot, since I couldn’t go to the World event, where slots were awarded.”
-In the Lima Pan Americans, Ecuador’sAndrés Montano sent you to compete for the bronze…
-I was winning (6-0), but there were several factors I didn’t take into consideration and he surprised me with a move. I learned the lesson that you can’t be too confident until the very end of the bout. That’s why I had to compete for the bronze.
-What aspects do you emphasize in your training?
-I train under the direction of Raúl Trujillo and Leonel Pérez. We train five months in three different locations: Camagüey, Havana and Sancti Spíritus, given problems related to the pandemic. Right now, I’m working on down defense and technical-tactical issues, which were among my mistakes in Lima.
-What are your goals in Tokyo?
-The goal and the dream is to reach the podium. All the opponents are strong, and that’s why I’m preparing my fight. I don’t think it’s necessary to talk about technique, since everything depends on the opponent’s strategy and the opportunities you have. I’m not worried about the Ecuadoran Montano, but the Russians and Japanese in my division (60kg) were the finalists in the last World event, and they are the ones I need to really think about.
