Tuesday, March 06, 2007

3 Olympic Champion Cuban Boxers Defect


The AP Reports today:

They couldn't hide the tears when they spoke of leaving their families. Yet three Olympic champions who defected from Cuba are ready to begin new lives in a new country as professional boxers. ... Odlanier Solis, a 26-year-old heavyweight; Yuriorkis Gamboa, a 25-year-old super bantamweight; and 27-year-old Barthelemy left their hotel while training in Venezuela for the upcoming Pan American Games and then crossed into Colombia...All three were favorites in their weight classes to repeat at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gamboa said he sold his 2004 gold medal last year to pay for his 2-year-old daughter's first birthday party. It's not uncommon for Cuban Olympic athletes sell their medals to earn cash to help their families, he added."
Read the entire story here.

2 comments:

Fantomas said...

Los boxeadores se asilaron en el mes de Diciembre 2006 en Venezuela, ya estan en colombia con destino final a EEUU. so far los americanos no le han dado las visas... Not an easy task

Fantomas said...

spoke too soon ...they are here in the USa already . Thanks God