Tag Archives: 2016 Rio Games

Cuba’s Fernando Jorge & Serguey Torres Claim Surprise Gold in Canoeing at the Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo GamesFernando Jorge and Serguey Torres have ended a 20+ year Olympic medal drought…

The 22-year-old Cuban canoeist and his 34-year-old compatriot/partner won a surprise gold medal in the men’s canoe double 1,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Fernando Jorge & Serguey Torres

Jorge and Torres ended the race with a time of 3:24.995, just ahead of the Chinese team, who had a time of 3:25.198.

Germany, which had won the event at five of the last seven Olympic games, won the bronze with a score of 3:25.615.

Fernando Jorge & Serguey Torres

Sebastian Brendel had been in the German boat for gold medals in the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games.

But the race developed into a battle between Cuba and China over the final 500 meters.

The Cuban duo had won silver at the world championships in 2019, but Cuba hadn’t medaled in this event at the Olympics since 2000.

Cuba’s Roniel Iglesias Wins Gold Medal in Men’s Welterweight Boxing at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo GamesRoniel Iglesias is golden yet again…

The 32-year-old Cuban amateur boxer claimed the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games after defeating Great Britain’s Pat McCormack by a score of 5-0 in the men’s welterweight competition.

Roniel Iglesias

Scores were 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of Iglesias, who delivered a masterclass performance Tuesday evening at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

Iglesias has previously won a gold medal at the 2012 London Games in the light welterweight category.

He also claimed a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games after losing his semifinal bout to defending champion Manus Boonjumnong in the light welterweight category.

Iglesias moved to the welterweight prior to the 2016 Rio Games, where he competed but failed to medal.

The four-time Cuban Olympian with three medals can now add ‘two-time Olympic Gold medalist’ to his resume.

Roniel Iglesias

“This puts me straight up there in the highest ranking, in the highest order,” he said. “I think this speaks for itself and shows how much I love the sport. … Those who always doubted that I could achieve the Olympic pinnacle, that was an extra push from me to get up every morning and give it that extra bit of effort and achieve this result,” said Iglesias of his Olympic career.

Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze Repeat as Women’s 49erFX Sailing Champions at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo GamesIt’s a repeat performance for Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze …

The 30-year-old Brazilian sailor and her 30-year-old compatriot/partner have repeated as the winner’s of the women’s 49erFX sailing competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze

Grael and Kunze won the gold at the inaugural women’s 49erFX sailing competition at the 2016 Rio Games.

The duo won competition by finishing third in the final. That added 6 points to their net score for a final total of 76.

Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze

The silver went to Germany, while the bronze went to the Netherlands.

After the win, Grael and Kunze went to celebrate and wound up capsizing their boat in the process.

“It’s just good to be around friends,” Grael said after the win and subsequent capsize. “It’s always good to be around friends.”

“And then we capsized the boat in a place where we didn’t know if there were any rocks,” Kunze joked. “It was a little bit shallow,” Grael agreed.

“And we broke the mast, but it’s okay,” Kunze concluded. “It’s a nice moment. It’s going to stay in our mind forever.”

Lázaro Álvarez Claims Third Straight Boxing Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Make that three in a row for Lázaro Álvarez…

The 30-year-old Cuban amateur boxer lost his semifinal men’s featherweight boxing match to the Russian Olympic Committee’s Albert Batyrgaziev by a score of 3-2, leaving him settling for a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Lázaro Álvarez

It’s Alvarez’s third consecutive Olympic bronze.

The southpaw previously won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games.

Yaime Perez Claims Bronze in Women’s Discus Throw at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

The third time’s the charm for Yaime Perez…

Competing in her third Olympics, the 30-year-old Cuban athlete was able to finally take the medal stand after claiming the bronze medal in the women’s discus throw competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Yaime Perez

Perez completed the competition with a best-throw of 65.72 meters.

Team USA’s Valarie Allman took home the gold with a throw of 68.98 meters.

German’s Kristin Pudenz won the silver with a throw of 66.86 meters.

Pérez won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games.

Perez previously competed in the 2012 London Games, where she finished in 29th place in the qualifying round; and 2016 Rio Games, where she reached the final but did not advance after three throws.

Sarah Robles Repeats as Weightlifting Bronze Medalist at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

It’s a déjà vu of sorts for Sarah Robles…

The 33-year-old Mexican American weightlifter has claimed the bronze medal in the women’s +87kg weightlifting competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games, becoming the first U.S. woman to win two Olympic medals in weightlifting.

Sarah Robles

Robles, known as “the strongest woman in America,” previously won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games, ending a 16-year medal drought in weightlifting at that Olympics.

Robles began the competition in the over-87 kilograms class at the Tokyo International Forum by successfully making all three of her lifts in the clean and jerk. Her final lift of 128 kilograms tied the American record set in 2003 by Olympic medalist Cheryl Haworth.

Sarah Robles

Robles lifted 154 kilograms on her second attempt in the clean and jerk to give her at total of 282 kilograms. She was unsuccessful in her final attempt at 157 kilograms.

Li Wenwen of China won the gold medal with an Olympic-record total of 320 kilograms. Emily Campbell of Great Britain won the silver medal with a total of 283 kilograms, one more than Robles.

Sarah Robles

Robles’ medal came one day after her 33rd birthday. She is the oldest U.S. women’s weightlifter to medal at the Olympic Games and the second-oldest U.S. woman to compete in weightlifting at the Olympics.

Mijaín López Claims Fourth Consecutive Wrestling Olympic Gold Medal at Tokyo Games

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Mijaín López has cemented his status as a wrestling legend…

The 38-year-old Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler claimed his fourth consecutive Olympic gold after defeating Georgia’s Iacob Kadzhaia 5-0 in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final.

Mijain Lopez

In the process, Lopez surpassed Russia’s Alexander Karelin, who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals between 1988 and 1996.

Lopez won the Olympic titles at the 2008 Beijing Games, the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games.

Mijain Lopez

Since Beijing, Lopez has been unbeaten at the Olympics, and in Tokyo, he didn’t give up a single point in the entire tournament.

The Cuban accumulates 20 Olympic fights, of which he has won 19. From London 2012 to August 2, 2021 in Tokyo, Mijaín scored 55 points and allowed none in 12 appearances. The last man who has managed to score him was precisely the Russian Baroev in Beijing 2008.

“I feel happy and proud to be the best in the world and make history,” he said Monday night at a press conference.

“I’ve had a long career, working hard to make these successes and break this record. To be able to break this record today, for me, is a great achievement, because I’ve been up against the best and I can be proud.”

Only Japan’s Kaori Icho, in the freestyle, has managed to win four Olympic gold medals in as many Games, in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Ana Peleteiro Claims Bronze Medal in Women’s Triple Jump at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Ana Peleteiro is celebrating not one, but two, record-breaking leaps…

The 25-year-old Spanish triple jumper claimed the bronze medal in in the women’s triple jump competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Ana Peleteiro

Peleteiro broke the Spanish record twice to finish in third place.

Peleitero followed up her second jump of 14.77 meters with her final leap of 14.87 meters, breaking the record of 14.73 that she herself had set at the 2019 European Indoor Championshipsin Glasgow.

“I knew that today could be a great day, but I never imagined that I would make it. I dreamed about it a lot,” said Peleteiro, unable to stop crying with emotion. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make that jump. My coach (Ivan Pedroso) has worked very hard and then Nelson (Évora, her boyfriend and triple Olympic gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games) came to motivate me in the fifth jump, to take out that warrior Ana and finally I can say that I am an Olympic medalist,”she added. “I’ve been dreaming about it all my life and I can’t believe it, I’ll have to wait a few days to digest it”

Ana Peleteiro

Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas won the gold, with a world-record-setting jump of 15.67 meters. Portugal’s Patricia Mamona, broke the Portuguese record of 14.65 meters that she had set five years ago at the 2016 Rio Games, as she recorded two leaps of 14.91 meters and 15.01 meters respectively.

Neisi Dajomes Becomes Ecuador’s First Female Athlete to Win an Olympic Medal at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Neisi Dajomes is a golden girl…

The 23-year-old Ecuadorian weightlifter has become the first female athlete from Ecuador to win an Olympic medal in any sport at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Neisi Dajomes

Dajomes claimed the gold in style in the women’s weightlifting 76 kilograms class at the Tokyo International Forum with a final score of 263kg.

Dajomes’ performance is a significant improvement from her showing in the 2016 Rio Games, advancing from a seventh-place finish in Rio to the top of the podium in 2021.

Neisi Dajomes

Team USA’s Kate Nye won the silver with 249kg, while Aremi Fuentes of Mexico took the bronze with 245kg.

Dajomes was the only athlete out of 13 competitors to make every lift she attempted on the platform, an airtight performance that had guaranteed her the gold medal by the time she had completed her first clean & jerk. Here are all of her attempts in both lifts plus her highest total.

  • Snatch— 111/115/118 kilograms (260.1 pounds)
  • Clean & Jerk — 135/140/145kilograms (319.6 pounds)
  • Total — 263 kilograms (579.8 pounds)

As she stood on the podium, Dajomes made an emotional dedication to her mother and brother, who passed away in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Neisi Dajomes

“I had a hard time, I lost my mother and recently my brother Javier Palacios, for whom I am here,” she told Ecuadorian television channel RTS.

“All my achievements are dedicated to his memory.”

Dajomes was immediately praised by her nation’s sports minister, Sebastián Palacios.

He said on social media, “There are no words! Thank you for this! Our first Ecuadorian woman with an Olympic medal. You are golden, Neisi!”

It’s Ecuador’s fourth Olympic medal ever. Dajomes’ gold medal is Ecuador’s second in Tokyo, the first having been won by Richard Carapaz in the cycling event. This is also the first time Ecuador has ever won two medals at the same Olympics.

Bruno Fratus Becomes Oldest Pool Swimmer to Win First Ever Olympic Medal at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

Bruno Fratus’ wait is finally over…

The 32-year-old Brazilian competitive swimmer, considered one of the great men’s sprinters of this era, has earned his first career Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Bruno Fratus

Fratus finished third in the final of the men’s 50 free, swimming a 21.57 to earn the bronze medal for Brazil. Team USA’s Caleb Dressel won the gold with a time of 21.07, setting an Olympic world record. France’s Florent Manaudou claimed silver with a 21.55.

Though Fratus has a decorated career at the World Championships, Pan Pacific, and Pan American Games, he had never won an Olympic medal until this one.

Bruno Fratus

Additionally, Fratus has now become the oldest pool swimmer in history to win their first Olympic medal.

That title was previously held by American David Plummer, who won his first medal with a 3rd-place finish in the 100 back at the 2016 Rio Games at the age of 30. Plummer was 30 year, 304 days old when he earned his first medal, while Fratus was 32 years, 32 days old.

This wasn’t the first piece of history Fratus made in the past several days. With his semifinals performance of 21.60, Fratus became the first swimmer ever to record 90 sub-22 LCM 50 free performances in their career. He added to that total with his finals swim of 21.57, so he now has 91 career sub-22s. Fratus has hinted that these were his last Games, but it will be interesting if he chooses swims for another year or two, and is able to reach 100 sub-22 50 frees.