Message from the president of Chile to the fighter Yasmani Acosta: "Tremendous"

The Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, sent a message to the Greco-Roman wrestler Yasmani Acosta, who will compete for gold representing the country on Tuesday in a historic match against his compatriot Mijaín López.

“Tremendous Yasmani Acosta in Greco-Roman wrestling. Tomorrow all of Chile will be with you in the final!” the president told the athlete of Cuban origin, who will face the four-time Olympic champion from the Island, a true legend in this sport.

At 36 years old, Acosta will face an experienced athlete and the king of Greco-Roman wrestling at 130 kilos. According to Mijaín's statements, in this sport, experience weighs more than youth.

The "Iron Horse" began his journey in Paris with a victory over South Korean Lee Seung-chan (7-0). He then defeated one of the favorites, Iranian Amir Mirzazadeh (3-1), the champion of the 2023 Belgrade World Championship.

Crowned in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and Tokyo 2020, Mijaín defeated the Azerbaijani Sabah Shariati (4-1), while Acosta emulated him against the Chinese Lingzhe Meng (1-1) in the semifinal round.

The Antillean has barely accumulated two losses in the last 16 years (2011, 2015 against the Turkish Riza Kayalp), and his only defeat in these competitions occurred on August 24, 2004, when he lost to the Russian Kashan Baroev in Athens, Greece.

Without a doubt, at 41 years of age, the Caribbean athlete's dominance remains overwhelming and defies the prediction of the prestigious American magazine Sports Illustrated, which forecasted a bronze medal for him.

Acosta's journey was a bit more complicated, although he perfectly executed his strategy in each of the matches. In his debut, he defeated the Bulgarian Kiril Milenov 1-1 (by scoring the last point), and then eliminated one of the favorites, the Egyptian Abdellatif Mohamed (2-1), a multiple medalist in world competitions.

López and Acosta were teammates on the Cuba team until the latter decided not to return to the island and build the successful career he has amassed representing Chile.