Michel Batista (wrestler)

Michel Batista
Personal information
Full name Michel Batista Martínez
Nationality  Cuba
Born (1984-04-20) 20 April 1984
Camagüey, Cuba
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Weight 96 kg (212 lb)
Sport
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle
Club Cerro Pelado
Coached by Julio Mendieta

Michel Batista Martínez (born April 20, 1984 in Camagüey) is an amateur Cuban freestyle wrestler, who played for the men's heavyweight category.[1] He won a gold medal for his division at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Venezuela's Luis Vivénes.[2]

Batista represented Cuba at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for the men's 96 kg class. He received an automatic free pass from the preliminary round of sixteen after U.S. wrestler Daniel Cormier had been withdrawn from the competition due to complications related to excessive weight cutting.[3] He lost the quarterfinal match to Kazakhstan's Taimuraz Tigiyev, who was able to score three points in two straight periods, leaving Batista without a single point.[4] Because his opponent advanced further into the final match, Batista offered another shot for the bronze medal by defeating his former opponent Vivenes in the repechage round. He progressed to the bronze medal match, but narrowly lost by a fall to Georgia's Giorgi Gogshelidze.[5]

References

  1. "Michel Batista". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  2. Sesker, Craig (28 July 2007). "Rough night for U.S. freestyle team as Cuba rolls to team title at Pan American Games". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  3. Mihoces, Gary (21 August 2008). "U.S. captain Cormier hospitalized, out of Games". USA Today. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  4. "Men's Freestyle 96kg (211.5 lbs) Quarterfinal Official". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  5. "Men's Freestyle 96kg (211.5 lbs) Bronze Medal Official". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 25 December 2012.


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