Cape Verde boxer David De Pina has clinched his island nation’s first Olympic medal with a quarterfinal victory Friday in the boxing tournament at the Paris Games.
Cape Verde, a nation of about 600,000 people on 10 isles more than 300 miles west of continental Africa, had never taken home a medal in its previous seven appearances in the Olympics.
But De Pina has won twice in the men’s 51-kilogram division in Paris to secure at least a bronze medal – and a monumental achievement for sports in his country.
De Pina beat African Games champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Patrick Chinyemba, of Zambia, 5-0 to enter the last four, meaning he is assured at least a bronze medal in the Olympic men’s boxing tournament.
“I can’t describe my emotions,” De Pina said.
“They are huge. I did it for my country, as we deserve this. We are a small island and we’ve never done this before.
“I’m the first one to write this story. I felt the support my country gave me and I thank them for this victory.
“It was against the odds. Everybody bet on Patrick, as he is the African champion. I was the nobody, I was the simple Cape Verdean. I’ve shown the world we are small, but we are strong.”
De Pina, 28, has made waves at the North Paris Arena with his unique hairstyle, which features two buns on either side of his head, with fans even wearing headbands to imitate the look.
“Sometimes people look at me and laugh, saying, ‘Ah, the guy with the two ears like Mickey Mouse’. But today I showed them I can be simple but strong and ferocious,” De Pina said.
“My coach told me to do this, as Africans sometimes use braids. He said,’ You have to look different to all the African guys’. My coach had a vision nobody had. Now all the people are imitating me.”
De Pina faces 2016 gold medallist Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan on Sunday.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Napoli Influx: Osimhen’s future and Lukaku’s potential homecoming