Puerto Rican Wrestler Sebastián Rivera Qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Puerto Rican wrestler Sebastián Rivera secured his spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after reaching the final of the 65-kilogram freestyle category at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. The 25-year-old defeated Armenia’s Vazgen Tevanyan in the semifinals with a score of 10-9. Rivera will now compete for the gold medal against Hungarian wrestler Ismail Musukaev on Tuesday.
The highly anticipated final match is scheduled for 11:00 am local time, as confirmed by Obed Santana, the president of the Federation of Associated Fights of Puerto Rico. Rivera expressed his joy and dedication, stating, “I’ve trained so hard and put so much time into this. I will try to get one more victory. My message to the people of Puerto Rico is that anything is possible. I am doing this for you on the island.”
Rivera, who was born and raised in New Jersey, is making history as the first Puerto Rican wrestler to reach a World Championship final since Franklin Gómez accomplished the feat 12 years ago. Gómez secured silver in the 60-kilogram category in 2011.
Santana highlighted the significance of Rivera’s achievement, saying, “Sebastián entered here ranked number four, yet it is still a strong tournament. There are athletes who are European champions, world champions, and even Olympic medalists competing from different parts of the world. It’s very significant because we had not won a world medal since 2011.”
Rivera displayed outstanding form on his path to the final, winning three previous bouts convincingly. He triumphed over Alibeg Saigidgusein Malibegov of Bahrain (10-0), Ayub Muratovitch Musaev of Belgium (10-0), and Maxim Sacultan of Moldova (15-4), all by technical superiority.
Prior to his wrestling career, Rivera competed at the NCAA level for Northwestern and Rutgers universities. He recently won a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador in 2023.
Rivera’s opponent in the final, Ismail Musukaev, is a two-time world medalist, earning bronze in the 65-kilogram category in the 2022 and 2019 tournaments. Santana acknowledged Musukaev as the favorite but emphasized Rivera’s potential, saying, “We understand that Sebastián, due to the achievements he had in previous fights, must be opting for that gold medal. For us, it is extremely important and it gives us a way to analyze where we are.”
Rivera was one of seven Puerto Rican wrestlers competing in the World Championships this year. In the men’s division, Darian Cruz, Joseph Silva, Shane Jones, Ethan Ramos, and Jonovan Smith represented Puerto Rico across various weight categories. Nesmarie Rodríguez competed in the 57-kilogram division in the female branch.
The Puerto Rican wrestling community and fans eagerly await Rivera’s final match, with hopes of witnessing a historic victory. Journalist Sara Del Valle Hernández contributed to this report.