Eddy Alvarez Becomes First Latino Athlete to Win a Medal at Summer & Winter Olympics

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Eddy Alvarez has earned his place in Olympics history…

The 31-year-old Cuban-American speedskater-turned-baseball-player and his Team USA mates lost to Japan 2-0 in the 2020 Tokyo Games men’s baseball gold medal game at Yokohama Baseball Stadium, having to settle for silver.

But in the process, Alvarez – Team USA’s starting second baseman – has done something six people have ever accomplished – win a medal at the Summer and Winter Olympics. And, he’s the first Latino to accomplish the feat.

“Feels like déjà vu. Just as heavy as the other one. Same color. A little bit of a different design,” Alvarez said. “But it’s still an incredible journey, an incredible experience, a great group of guys I’ve created a bond with for the rest of my life so I can’t wait to enjoy this moment back home.”

Only six others have accomplished the feat. Americans Eddie Egan (1920 – boxing, 1932 – four-man bobsled) and Lauryn Williams (2004 – 100-meter sprint, 2012 – 4×100 relay, 2014 – two-woman bobsled) are two of those on the list.

The others are Norway’s Jacob Tullin Thams (ski jumping in 1924 and yachting in 1936), East Germany/Germany’s Christa Luding-Rothenburger (speedskating in 1984, ’88 and ’92 and sprint cycling in 1988) and Canada’s Clara Hughes (cycling in 1996 and speed skating in 2002, ’06 and ’10).

“It’s hard to describe it, because it’s like bittersweet, but at the same time, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Alvarez said.

“I had no idea this is where I was going to end up. Once I retired from skating, never in my wildest dreams would I ever think I would have the chance to come back to the Olympics.”

Alvarez won a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Games as a member of the 5,000-meter speed skating short-track squad.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, when you come so close to winning and you fall short,” Alvarez said of his silver medals. “At the same time, it’s one of those things that I know will hit me eventually, of how incredible and blessed I am to be a part of this.”

But Alvarez isn’t the only Latino to earn a silver as part of the US men’s baseball team…

Triston Casas, the 21-year-old Latino first baseman; 28-year-old Puerto Rican infielder Jack Lopez; and 31-year-old Latino pitcher Nick Martinez are all part of Team USA at this year’s Games.

It’s the first Olympic hardware for the three.

Brazil’s Mayra Aguiar Claims Third Consecutive Olympic Bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a threepeat of sorts for Mayra Aguiar…

The 29-year-old Brazilian judoka earned her third consecutive Olympic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Aguiar defeated South Korea’s Yoon Hyun-ji in the Women’s 78kg in the Bronze Medal B match.

Considered one of the most talented Brazilian judokas in history, Aguiar is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics.

She lost her only match at the 2008 Beijing Games, but then claimed the bronze medal at the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games.

Kelvin Hoefler Gives Brazil Its First Medal at Tokyo Games

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Kelvin Hoefler has put Brazil on the board…

The 27-year-old Brazilian skateboarder made history in the early hours of Sunday at the 2020 Tokyo Games when he won Brazil’s first medal in skateboarding, a sport making its debut at the Olympics.

Hoefler took silver in the street category with a combined score of 36.15. The medal won by the native of Guarujá, São Paulo, was Brazil’s first in this Olympics.

Highly ranked in the street category for a long time, Hoefler practiced skateboarding and surfing as a child. He had the support of his family from the beginning.

Japan’s Yuto Horigome took home the gold.

Alejandra Valencia & Luis Álvarez Give Mexico First Medal at Tokyo Games

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandra Valencia and Luis Álvarez have put Mexico official on the leaderboard at the 2020 Tokyo Games…

The Mexican duo defeated Turkey’s team to win the bronze medal in the archery mixed team event, giving Mexico its first medal at the Summer Olympics

Mexico defeated Germany 6-2 in the first elimination round, then in the quarterfinal Valencia and Álvarez combined to defeat Britain with a 6-0 score.

In the semi-final they failed to defeat South Korea, losing 5-1, but put themselves in a position to secure a medal.

The bronze medal match saw Valencia and Álvarez defeating Turkey’s Yasemin Anagoz and Mete Gazoz 6-2.

“We don’t keep anything for ourselves. We communicate everything we feel, everything we’re thinking,” Valencia said. “We tried to be happy and enjoy the fact we’re here, the fact we made it all the way here.”

https://twitter.com/ASMexico/status/1418838926022819844

Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz Claims First Medal by a Latino Athlete at Tokyo Games

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the golden hour for Richard Carapaz…

The 28-year-old Ecuadorian cyclist brought home the gold medal for Ecuador in the men’s Olympics road race at the 2020 Tokyo Games on Saturday in a pulsating finale that saw the climber drop his main rivals on the last two climbs.

It’s the first medal and gold medal for his native country, as well as the first medal and gold medal for any Latino athlete at the games.

Carapaz made his first acceleration with 25km to go in response to a move from Brandon McNulty (USA) before dropping his breakaway companion and soloing to the win with 5.8km to go.

Carapaz held onto his winning lead over the final finishing circuit on the Fuji Speedway to take the biggest one-day win of his career.

The 2019 Giro d’Italia winner finished with more than enough time to soak up the applause from the home crowd after six hours of brutal racing in hot and humid conditions.

In the sprint for the silver and bronze medals, Wout van Aert (Belgium) narrowly held off the late charge from Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia).

podium and a place in the history books with a gold medal for him and for Ecuador.

“It is incredible to see your flag as the top one, and to have this medal,” said Carapaz, who became his country’s second-ever Olympic champion after walker Jefferson Pérez in 1996.

“I simply waited for my moment. It was a bit of a crazy day, and a very hard race. I had to be patient as the selections were being made and wait for the right moment – that for me was the most complicated part.”

Pau Gasol Named to Spain’s Preliminary Squad for Upcoming Tokyo Games

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pau Gasol is thisclose to a fifth Olympics appearance…

Spain has included the 40-year-old professional basketball player, who currently plays for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, in its preliminary squad for the Tokyo Games.

Gasol was among the 18 players called up by coach Sergio Scariolo to prepare for the Summer Olympics. Only 12 players will make the final squad.

The two-time NBA champion and four-time All-NBA team selection is trying to play in his fifth Olympics. He was included after overcoming a long injury layoff and a successful return to Barcelona this season.

He will turn 41 before the Games open on July 23.

Gasol’s brother Marc also made the list, as did Ricky Rubio. Both were key for Spain when it won the world championship two years ago in China. A total of eight world champions are on the preliminary list.

Other names in the squad include Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodríguez, Alex Abrines, Sergio Llull and newcomer Usman Garuba, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft next month.

Another sibling pair — Juancho and Willy Hernangomez– were included.

Rubio and Juancho Hernangomez are teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Willy Hernangomez played this season for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The team will begin its preparations on Friday in Madrid.

Spain is a three-time silver medalist at the Olympics. It won the bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Tatiana Suarez Medically Cleared for UFC Return in Near Future

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tatiana Suarez is cleared for combat…

The 30-year-old Mexican American professional mixed martial artist, one of the best women’s MMA fighters in the world, is finally close to returning to the Octagon.

Suarez told ESPN in a video interview published Wednesday that she has been medically cleared by doctors and is targeting a return to the UFC in September, or perhaps even as early as August.

Suarez has been sidelined by a recurring bulging disc in her neck since June 2019.

“I’m super excited to get back out there,” she said. “It’s fun to practice, for sure. But it’s just different competing. Everybody knows that. It’s super exciting to just show what you’re working on.”

Suarez (8-0) said she was cleared for live training in February, but then she broke her hand and suffered a concussion while wrestling in her front yard with her boyfriend. Those were minor setbacks, she said, but she has been back to training now for the past several weeks and plans on starting a training camp “soon.”

When she comes back, Suarez said she plans to try her hand at a new division: flyweight. Suarez had dominated the UFC’s women’s strawweight division before the injury cropped up two years ago. But she said that cutting to 115 pounds left her feeling weak and tired on fight night and not as explosive as she is in training. Suarez said she’d like to see what it feels like to compete at 125 pounds, at least initially upon her return.

“Maybe if I’m not cutting too much weight at all, I’ll be a little more stronger and explosive,” Suarez said.

Suarez has won all five of her UFC fights and was the Ultimate Fighter 23 winner in 2016. The California native came close to competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in wrestling, but the neck injury and a bout with thyroid cancer marred those plans.

Suarez has wins over former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza and current flyweight contender Alexa Grasso.

When asked how she thinks she could match up with women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, one of the top three women’s fighters on the planet, Suarez said she believes very well.

“I do think I have a good skill set in terms of my wrestling [that] can give her trouble,” Suarez said.

Bruguera & Andre Agassi to Face Off in Rematch of 1996 Atlanta Games Final

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Sergi Bruguera is getting a chance at a little Olympic payback…

The 45-year-old Spanish retired professional tennis player will face Andre Agassi in a special exhibition match as part of the Atlanta Open on July 31, providing a rematch of the 1996 Summer Olympics gold medal final in Atlanta.

The exhibition will be played as Atlanta marks the 20-year anniversary of the Olympic Games.

Agassi, who celebrated his 46th birthday on Friday, is an eight-time Grand Slam singles champion who defeated Bruguera for the 1996 gold medal.

Sergi Bruguera, Andre Agassi & Leander Paes

Bruguera, a two-time French Open champion, won 14 career titles and reached No. 3 in the world rankings.

As of 2014, he has won the most Grand Slam titles for someone not elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Agassi said the exhibition is a chance “to re-live a special Olympic moment.”

Herrera Tabio to be Inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Ruperto Herrera Tabio is a baller for the history books…

The 65-year-old Cuban former basketball player will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Herrera Tabio won the bronze medal with Cuba’s men’s national team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Basketball’s governing body, the International Basketball Federation, announced Friday that Herrera Tabio will be part of class of nine players who will be enshrined on September 19.

Herrera Tabio will be joined by Michael Jordan, who won two Olympic gold medals.

The rest of the class includes players Sarunas Marciulionis (Lithuania), Anne Donovan (U.S.), Vladimir Tkachenko (Russia/Ukraine), and Antoine Rigaudeau (France); coach Jan Stirling (Australia), technical official Robert Blanchard (France) and contributor Noah Klieger (Israel).

They will be honored in Lille, France, then presented at halftime of the Eurobasket championship game on September 20.

Bocanegra Featured in ESPN’s Body Issue

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He’s one of the top defenders in Major League Soccer with his jaw-dropping play… But Carlos Bocanegra isn’t leaving people with la boca abierta for a whole other reason.

The 33-year-old half-Mexican American futbolista, a star player for Glasgow’s Rangers Football Club in the Scottish Premier League, is one of 27 world-class athletes featured au naturel in ESPN‘s fourth annual “The Body Issue,” which aims to admire the vast potential of the human form and appreciate “the bodies we want.”

The athletes are all stars in a wide-ranging number of sports, from tennis to track, from gymnastics to sailing, from horse racing to fencing, from surfing to decathlons, from football to hockey.

Bocanegra, a member of the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, says of his fine physique:

“Soccer players run a lot, so we don’t keep a lot of body fat,” says the California native. “We hear from members of the opposite sex that they enjoy our legs.”

But Bocanegra isn’t the only Hispanic athlete featured in the issue…

Maria Gabeira is another all-star athlete who embraced the nudity concept. The 25-year-old Brazilian big wave surfer, an ESPY Award winner for Best Female Action Sports Athlete in 2009, isn’t afraid of her own strength.

“Most women are afraid of being too strong,” says the five-time Billabong XXl Award winner. “When you surf, your muscles get bigger, especially your shoulders. But this sport is so great because it’s so aerobic that it doesn’t make you bulky.”

Danell Leyva, the 20-year-old Cuban-American gymnast, who will be competing at the Summer Olympics in London as part of the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Team, proves he’s not only an all-around gymnast, but a flexible one too.

“As a male gymnast, you lose a lot of flexibility as you build muscle,” but I’m OK,” says Leyva. “I can still do the splits.”

José A. Bautista may not be able to do splits, but the 31-year-old Dominican baseball star and right fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays can hit homers.

“It’s pretty funny that people think I’m supposed to have big arms just because I hit home runs,” says Bautista.

The issue also includes members of the USA Women’s Volleyball Team, including 25-year-old Latina standout Cynthia Barboza.

ESPN’s oh-so-revealing “Body” issue is due out on July 13.

Click here for a look at the gallery of photos from the issue.

http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8136693/image/30/anna-tunnicliffe-2012-body-issue-bodies-want-espn-magazine

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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