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Cuban Olympic champions Héctor Milián and Luis Alberto Orta were inducted this Thursday into the Hall of Fame of the World Wrestling Américas UWW (United World Wrestling Americas) during a ceremony held in Coralville, Iowa, ahead of the 2026 Senior Pan American Wrestling Championship.
The journalist Guillermo Rodríguez Hidalgo confirmed the recognition through Facebook: "Before the start of the Pan American Wrestling Championship, which will take place in Coralville, Iowa, United States, Olympic champions Héctor Milián and Luis Orta were inducted into the UWW Americas Hall of Fame. Both are a source of pride for Cuba."
The ceremony was attended by, alongside the honorees, Jesús Rodríguez (technical chief of freestyle wrestling), wrestler Gabriel Rosillo, José Mario Olivera (technical chief of Greco-Roman wrestling), and Yunior Sosa (referee), who joined the two legends in receiving their respective plaques featuring the Wrestling Américas logo.
Milián, born in Pinar del Río in 1968, is regarded as one of the great figures in global Greco-Roman wrestling. He was the flag bearer for Cuba at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the 100 kg category by defeating American Dennis Koslowski, becoming the first Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling from a Third World country.
His accolades also include gold at the World Championship in Varna 1991, silver medals at the World Championships in 1994, 1995, and 1999, five golds at the World Cups, and the title at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg 1999.
In 2016, Milián had already been inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame globally during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the second Cuban to achieve this honor after Filiberto Azcuy. This new continental recognition adds an additional honor to his career. Having retired from active competition, he now serves as the coach of the Cuban team.
Orta, for his part, is the current leading figure in Cuban wrestling. An Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020 in the 60 kg category and a bronze medalist in Paris 2024 in 67 kg, at 31 years old, he also holds the title of World Champion in Belgrade 2023.
The UWW also designated him as Best Greco-Roman Wrestler in the World 2023, with a total of 86,400 points accumulated in the world ranking.
Unlike Milián, Orta remains active and will compete in the Pan American Championship in Coralville, which runs until May 10, as confirmed by Dporto Sports News on Facebook.
The Pan American tournament is also a partial qualifier for the 2027 Pan American Games in Barranquilla, which adds an extra competitive weight to the participation of the Cuban double Olympic medalist in this event.
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