Wrestling coach deems award an achievement of Cuban sports

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 20 (ACN) “This award reflects an achievement of national sports and recognizes Cuban wrestling,” said the outstanding coach Raul Trujillo about the distinction he will receive on May 6 in Acapulco, Mexico, on account of his brilliant international career at the head of the national Greco-Roman wrestling team, which he has helped win several top competitions, including the Olympic Games.

Trujillo was chosen by the executive of the United World Wrestling Americas (UWWA) as one of the 10 personalities who will receive its continental awards and, therefore, be inducted into the entity’s hall of fame and virtual museum.

In statements to ACN, the coach said that he owes his award to the athletes, the group of coaches that he leads and the Cuban people in general, who always give him strength and encourage him to do more, as well as to his family and friends.

“This recognition brings with it complete satisfaction, as it does Cuba and the Revolution every credit,” he remarked. “My greatest motivation is to keep doing my best so that our wrestlers can bring more joy to our people and prove that Cuban sports still live despite the difficulties.”

A member of the Cuban freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling teams between 1968 and 1978, Trujillo finished third in the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico and won medals in various other international competitions.

As head coach of the Cuban Greco-Roman wrestlers, he won team victories in the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, as well as in the Central Caribbean Games of Barranquilla 2018 and the Pan American Games of Lima 2019.