Raiber Rodríguez (in red) won an Olympic diploma for Venezuela in Paris 2024 / Photo: Paris 2024 Press
Wrestler Raiber Rodríguez obtained an Olympic diploma in men’s wrestling, Greco-Roman style, in the 60 kilogram (kg) category, but he was not satisfied, because he wanted to win a medal for Venezuela in Paris 2024.
In his opinion, his performance in the universal event – held from July 26 to August 11 in France – was good, but not enough to qualify for a circle, something he would like to achieve in other international competitions.
“I’m a little unhappy with myself because I’m not used to losing, but wrestling is unpredictable and anything can happen,” the native told Olympics.com, the official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Performance
In Paris 2024, the 33-year-old from Barinas left a 2-2 record and was close to a bronze medal, but lost the fight for that coveted prize, which he won after overcoming a repechage.
He won 6-5 over Azerbaijan’s Murad Mammadov in the first round and lost 5-3 to China’s Liguo Cao in the quarter-finals. In the play-off, he beat Egypt’s Moamen Mohamed 12-1 and in the bronze medal match he lost 8-0 to North Korea’s Ung Ri Se.
Reflection
Although he did not like how his work in Paris ended, he does feel proud to have competed, as he showed a great level, after returning to a discipline from which he was absent for several calendars (2016-2021).
“After Rio 2016 (where he finished 17th in the 59kg version), I was away from wrestling. I kept in shape, but I decided to come back and I felt very good. Then I was in Paris fighting for a bronze medal and that represented a challenge. I didn’t want to come to France for a walk or anything. We got the diploma and now we have to work hard to achieve success in the future,” he added.
Valencia / Joseph Ñambre
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2024-08-24 12:08:14
