Hernandez Ends U.S.’s Eight-Year Medal Drought in Boxing at the 2016 Rio Games

2016 Rio Games

Nico Hernandez won’t be leaving Brazil with an Olympic gold medal, but he will still be remembered for making history.

Despite his loss to Uzbekistan’s Hassanboy Dusmatov in the semifinals of the Men’s Light Fly 49 kg, the 20-year-old Latino boxer will bring home a bronze medal alongside Cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos.

Nico Hernandez

He’ll standing on the medal podium as the US’s first light flyweight medalist in nearly 30 years. He’s also earned the U.S. its first medal in men’s boxing in eight years

Hernandez had enjoyed an unexpected run to the semifinals, following his unexpected defeat of the top seeded Vasilii Egorov of Russia.

The light fly final, on Sunday, will face Colombia’s Yurberjen Martinez against Dusmatov for Olympic gold. Hernandez has no more matchups, but he will join the two on the podium later in the day to be awarded bronze.

That Hernandez made it to the 2016 Summer Olympics is almost as miraculous as the run he’s been on since arriving here. He failed in his first two attempts at making the Olympic team before qualifying in March.

“His transition between October and now has been amazing,” said Coach Billy Walsh, who joined U.S. Boxing last fall, about the time Hernandez caught fire.