_03.jpg) Espinal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Dominican Puerto Rican |
| Born | (1984-10-14)October 14, 1984 (age 41)[1] |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[4] |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wrestling |
Event | Freestyle |
| Club | Sparta[5] Nittany Lion Wrestling Club |
| Coached by | Pedro Rojas[5] |
Medal record | |
Jaime Yusept Espinal Fajardo (born October 14, 1984) is aDominican-bornPuerto Rican freestyle wrestler. In 2012 he became the first Olympic medalist in wrestling forPuerto Rico by winning a silver medal in the 84 kg division.[5] He also became the first Puerto Rican who was born somewhere else to win an Olympic medal for the country, and the second person to win a silver medal for Puerto Rico at an Olympic Games, after boxerLuis Francisco Ortiz, who won his in 1984.
Espinal was born to Jaime Felix Espinal and Alejandrina Fajardo Hernández.[6] He has two siblings: Stanley and Rose Marie.[7] When he was 5 years old, his family moved toPuerto Rico. Espinal studied at the Baptist College and then Gabriela Mistral High School. He began wrestling when he was nine years old when coach Pedro Rojas approached him and other kids and invited them to Club Sparta[8] inRío Piedras along withFranklin Gómez.[9][10]
When he was 15 years old, Espinal and his mother moved toBrooklyn,New York. Espinal stated he had to deal with racism and fights "every two or three days". After a real bad fight, his mother decided to send him back to Puerto Rico alone. Espinal stop wrestling and begancheerleading and dancing.[10] He received ascholarship in cheerleading from theUniversity of Puerto Rico at Bayamón.[11] Espinal continued college at Walden University inPennsylvania. He completed aBachelor's degree in computer design.
Before his international wrestling career, Espinal spent three years as abreakdancer for the Time Machine Squad, entering the group after winning a contest.[11] In 2008, he went by the name of "Olimpic Jumps" as part of the group. During that time, he served as a backup dancer forhip hop artists likeDaddy Yankee andTego Calderón.[12] He also practicedbaseball and worked as amodel.[7] However, convinced by coach Rojas, Espinal returned to wrestling.[10]
To prepare for the2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, his coach, Pedro Rojas, sent Espinal to train inCuba for nine months.[10] As a result, Espinal won gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games inMayagüez, Puerto Rico.[2]
In 2011, Espinal finished in fifth place[2] at the2011 Pan American Games inGuadalajara,Mexico. That same year, he won silver at the Pan American Wrestling Qualifying Tournament inFlorida.
The next year, Espinal continued to excel in the sport finishing third at the Romanian International Tournament, and winning gold at the Città di Sassari Wrestling Championship inItaly. That year, at the 2012 Panamerican Wrestling Tournament inKissimmee, Florida, Espinal qualified for the2012 Summer Olympics.[6]
At the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon, England, Espinal began the first rounds by defeatingNigerian Andrew Dick andGeorgianDato Marsagishvili. On the semi-finals, he defeatedSoslan Gattsiev, fromBelarus, to advance to the final round againstSharif Sharifov, fromAzerbaijan. In the match, Sharifov defeated Espinal 3–1 to earn the gold. Espinal finished with the silver medal.[3] His medal was Puerto Rico's second silver in 17 Summer Olympics, and their second medal as a country in London.[13]
At the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro, Espinal was defeated in the first round of the 86 kg division bySelim Yaşar ofTurkey. He was then defeated in the repechage byReineris Salas ofCuba.[4] Espinal was the flag bearer for Puerto Rico during theParade of Nations.[14]
Espinal is in a relationship with Mexican wrestlerJane Valencia. Their first daughter Joy Espinal Valencia was born on May 31, 2017.[15]
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| Olympic Games | ||
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| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Puerto RicoRio de Janeiro 2016 | Succeeded by |