David de Pina wins boxing bronze to secure Cabo Verde’s first ever Olympic medal
David de Pina was awarded a bronze medal in the men’s boxing 51kg weight class on Sunday 4 August, representing the first medal any athlete from Cabo Verde has won at the Olympic Games.
de Pina was defeated by Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov but won bronze courtesy of reaching the semi final. Yunior Alcantara Reyes of the Dominican Republic secured the other bronze after losing to France’s Billal Bennama.
“This is the first medal for Cabo Verde at an Olympic Games,” said de Pina. “It is history, so I have to be happy with what I’ve achieved. It’s the bronze medal but it feels like the gold to me. I dedicate this to my coach, my family, my country.
“I’d have loved to win the gold, but it was not to be. I have fought so hard to be here – getting construction jobs so I could put food on the table for my family. That is why I dedicate this medal to them. It has been so hard at times.”
Photo by © Richard Pelham/Getty Images
