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Today's Paper | May 06, 2024

Published 21 Oct, 2014 05:16pm

Ready to rumble: Kids turn to wrestling in baseball-crazy Cuba

Dozens of kids are learning to wrestle under the watchful eye of former wrestler Michael Guerra. When asked why they chose wrestling in baseball-loving Cuba, they shout in unison: “To be like Mijain Lopez!” Lopez has won two Olympic gold medals in Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as five world championships, and is one of Cuba’s most heralded and popular athletes.The Kid Chocolate Hall where they normally train is closed for repairs so their instructor moved the class to a nearby park. The hall is named for Cuban professional boxer, Sergio Eligio Sardinias-Montalbo, who was known as Kid Chocolate and Cuban Bon Bon. He was the world junior lightweight champion from 1931 to 1933. The children are candidates to enter the Sports Initiation School, the first stage of sports training in Cuba, and specialize in wrestling. Brian Rojas, 11, and Yeney Pedroso, 14, know what they want from wrestling. They say they want "to be someone in life and travel the world" like their hero.

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