SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- The Cuban naturalized Chilean Yasmani Acosta will fight this Tuesday in the final of Greco-Roman wrestling, in the 130 kg category, against the Cuban legend Mijain Lopez.
Two weeks away from turning 42, Mijaín López will try to get his fifth Olympic gold medallist. Yasmani Acosta, after advancing three rounds without technical points and overcoming his opponents, will be his rival.
The final will be a dream come true for Yasmani Acosta, who hoped to face Mijaín López. “He is my idol in the sport, I know his whole story, everything he has been through. He is my friend, my brother, it will be a great final. Five minutes before the semi-final he was giving me advice,” he told the press. media Chileans after their victory.
“I achieved a goal that I had set for myself many years ago and for which I sacrificed a lot, my friends, my family.”
YASMANI IS ON HIS WAY TO THE FINAL!
Chilean wrestler Yasmani Acosta qualified for the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final by defeating the Chinese wrestler. He’s ready to make history!
Tomorrow he faces Mijaín López in a Latin American final. #PanamSports… pic.twitter.com/9CjL1mJKYO
— Panam Sports (@PanamSports) August 5, 2024
Acosta and Lopez They trained in Havana but their practices together ended when Acosta decided to flee Cuba in 2015, to settle in Chile and have there the prominence that he was losing in Cuba, in the shadow of his now rival.
“I was trapped by Mijaín. He is my friend, but he always traveled to important competitions. That prevented me from advancing in my sports career. I decided to make a decision,” he told Third.
Yasmani Acosta began his wrestling career in 1998, and began winning medals at the youth level from a very early age. By the time he was 20, he was Junior Pan American Champion at 120 kilos.
However, he was never able to dethrone Mijaín López, privileged to attend every international dispute.
After the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile in 2015, Yasmani deserted the Cuban delegation and had to separate from his family in order to aspire to an Olympic medal. In Tokyo 2020, both Cubans met in the Greco-Roman wrestling competition, but Yasmani lost in the semi-finals and in the medal match, so they could not face each other.
“For Cuban athletes, competing abroad represents an opportunity to raise money for the family. We sell our tracksuits, our clothes, because people are attracted to things from Cuba. I was the breadwinner in my home, with that I supported myself,” he said in an interview with the media. Third.
His beginnings in Chile were difficult. Now, eight years after leaving Cuba, he will experience one of his most anticipated fights.
For his part, Cuban Mijaín López won the semi-final of wrestling against Sabah Saleh Shariati, representing Azerbaijan, with a score of 4-1.
The four-time Olympic champion from the Island also defeated South Korean Seungchan Lee at 9:00 AM in the round of 16, with a score of 7-0, which allowed him to advance to the quarterfinals.
Shortly after, the Cuban athlete, originally from Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, defeated the Iranian Amin Mizazadeh, current world champion, 3-1, thus qualifying for the semi-final.
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