Cuban Wrestler Yasmani Acosta to Represent Chile at Paris 2024 Olympics

On March 25, 2024, Cuban wrestler Yasmani Acosta Fernández (born in Matanzas, 1987) announced on his Instagram the beginning of what he called "the most important and toughest preparation" for his upcoming challenge: the Paris Olympic Games. Nearly five months ago, he shared that he planned to spend several weeks away from Chile, training at the highest level for the "final battle." He will compete for his 130 kg wrestling qualification on Tuesday, August 6, starting at 11:00 AM.

"On the left side of my chest, under my fist, close to my heart, there you are, Chile," wrote the athlete, who was born in Agramonte, a locality in the municipality of Jagüey Grande, and became a Chilean citizen in 2018. Yasmani Acosta enters the Paris Olympic Games at 36, with a career full of successes in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. A month ago, he participated in a competition in Poland to monitor his weight and make necessary adjustments before reaching Paris. He also focused on fine-tuning details to leave the Olympics with a medal. "When the competition is tough, that's when all those little details that need improvement come out," he said in an interview with CooperativaFM.

Early Beginnings and Career Highlights

Yasmani Acosta started wrestling at the age of 10 and, in his teenage years, won gold at the 2008 Junior Pan American Championship and in Colombia in 2011. He later competed at the Pan American Championship in Santiago, Chile, in 2015 and decided to stay, not returning to Cuba. He spent two years working as a security guard without training until he regularized his situation and returned to international competitions. By then, he was already residing at the Olympic Training Center of Chile.

Reflecting on those initial years, he recalls how much he missed his family and the uncertainty of whether he had made the right decision. "I'm a homebody. I'm not one to go out, and I suffered a lot," he said about being separated from his family.

Achievements and Aspirations

Once he could compete for Chile, all that suffering faded away. He immediately returned to the podium with a silver at the Pan American Games and a bronze at the World Championships. At the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, he secured a bronze, though he aspired for gold. Despite not losing any matches at the Tokyo Olympics, he finished fourth after a tiebreaker, earning an Olympic diploma he never collected because his goal was a medal.

Yasmani Acosta first invited his mother to Chile after six years apart, and she arrived just as he was competing in the Olympics. She welcomed him at the airport. Later, he was able to visit Cuba and was deeply moved to see his neighbors and the people from the neighborhood where he grew up. "It's beautiful to reunite with those people," he said.

He speaks with bitterness about his experience in Tokyo. "Tokyo still hurts a lot, and it's something I'm going to use to my advantage. I feel I wasn't favored by the referees, but I don't want to think like that. No excuses. The referees are part of my opponents," he reflected years later.

Acosta is well aware that competing in the Olympics means facing the best. "Those who make it are there for a reason; they are the best in their region," he admits, noting that victories are often by small margins because "the fights are very close." This time in Paris, he plans to leave nothing to chance, knowing the referees will do everything possible to knock him down. He intends to give it his all, so nothing is left in the hands of the judges.

Future Prospects

Yasmani Acosta has not yet decided on his future after the Paris Olympics. "I'll evaluate it because I don't like going to the Games just to participate; I go for a medal." It's not about age; after all, Cuban wrestler Mijaín López is 42 and a four-time Olympic champion. Acosta explains that in higher weight categories, strength is more critical than physical or acrobatic skills, which diminish over time.

He knows he's at a disadvantage because his Cuban rivals train for eleven months a year, while he has had only four months to prepare. But he refuses to use this as an excuse. He wants a medal and will fight for it.

Acosta is one of 20 Cuban athletes competing under different flags at the Paris Olympics. Thirteen nations benefit from the talent of those born on the island. Two other compatriots were selected to join the Refugee Team: canoeist Fernando Dayán Jorge and weightlifter Ramiro Mora.