Yasmani Acosta

Acosta started wrestling in Cuba when he was 10 years old. While representing Cuba, he won multiple medals in South American competitions such as the Pan American Championships and the Cerro Pelado International.

When he competed at the 2015 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile, he never returned to Cuba, stating that, since the three-time Olympic Gold medalist Mijaín López was always the wrestler who represented Cuba at the biggest tournaments in his weight class, he would have way more opportunities if he represented Chile. However, Acosta was not able to represent Chile, as he did not have Cuba's permission. As a result, he worked as a security guard for two years without training while trying to get permission. When he finally got consent, he started competing internationally again, training and living at the Chilean Olympic Center.

He quickly saw results in 2017, his first year officially competing for Chile, earning a silver medal at the Pan American Championships and a bronze medal in the World Championships. In 2018, he won a bronze at the Pan American Championships, a gold at the South American Championships, and placed eighth at the World Championships. In 2019 he earned a bronze at the Pan American Championships and competed at multiple Grand Prix around Europe. In 2020, he won the Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament and earned a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[1][2][3]

• Yasmani Acosta at United World Wrestling