Puerto Rico at the 2008 Summer Olympics
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Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
competed in the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
which was held in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The American territory with a population of four million people qualified 22 athletes in eight different sports. The appearance of the Puerto Rican delegation at the Beijing Olympics marked the commonwealth's sixteenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics, and its twenty-second appearance at any Olympic Games, since its debut at the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
in London, England. Of its competitors participating in events that involve progression by heats, six athletes advanced at least one round in their events, and two advanced at least two rounds, with
Asunción Ocasio Asunción Ocasio Rodríguez (born June 6, 1987) is a Puerto Rican taekwondo practitioner. Ocasio qualified for the women's 67 kg class at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, after placing third from the Pan American Qualification Tournament in ...
almost medaling bronze in taekwondo. However, there were no Puerto Rican medalists at the Beijing Olympics.
McWilliams Arroyo McWilliams Arroyo Acevedo (born December 5, 1985) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who has held the WBC interim flyweight title since February 2021. He previously challenged for the IBF flyweight title in 2014, and the WBC and ''Ring'' maga ...
, a boxer, bore Puerto Rico's flag at the ceremonies.


Background

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
is a large island on the northern rim of the Caribbean that is home to approximately 4 million people. It lies due east of the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
and to the west of the
United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
. Puerto Rico was first colonized by the Spanish, but was ceded to the United States in the wake of the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
in 1898. Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship in 1917, although it remained apart from the United States and has a constitution that provides for self-government. 41 years after Puerto Ricans became American citizens, Puerto Rico sent its first delegation to the Olympics at the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
in London, England. The American commonwealth has sent a delegation to all sixteen Summer Olympics between then and the 2008 Beijing Olympics in addition to six Winter Olympic Games. Between its 1948 debut and its arrival at the Beijing Olympics, Puerto Rican athletes had won six medals (one silver and five bronze). The last medal earned by a Puerto Rican was a bronze medal by Daniel Santos at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta. No medals were won by Puerto Ricans at Beijing. During the course of the 2008 Olympics, 22 athletes represented Puerto Rico—17 men and five women—in eight sports (track and field, boxing, artistic gymnastics, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, and weightlifting). The size of the delegation was 21 athletes smaller than the Puerto Rican delegation that arrived at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in Athens, and 58 athletes smaller than Puerto Rico's largest Olympic team, which included 80 athletes participating in the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
in Montréal, Canada. The oldest member of the Beijing delegation was
Lucas Bennazar Lucas Rafael Bennazar Ortiz (born February 7, 1969, in Guaynabo) is a Puerto Rican sport shooter. At age thirty-five, Bennazar made his official debut for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he competed in two shotgun events. He placed tw ...
, a sharpshooter, who was 39 years old at the time; boxer Jonathan González, in contrast, was the youngest at 19 years old. Boxer
McWilliams Arroyo McWilliams Arroyo Acevedo (born December 5, 1985) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who has held the WBC interim flyweight title since February 2021. He previously challenged for the IBF flyweight title in 2014, and the WBC and ''Ring'' maga ...
was the nation's flag bearer at the ceremonies.


Athletics


Men's team


Men's 400 meters

Félix Martínez participated in the Beijing Olympics in the men's 400 meters dash on behalf of Puerto Rico. Martínez competed at Beijing while he was 23 years old. He had not previously competed at any Olympic Games. During the August 17 qualification round, Martínez participated in the sixth heat, which included eight athletes. At the end of the event, Martínez placed seventh after achieving a time of 46.46 seconds. He ranked ahead of Poland's Daniel Dabrowski (47.83 seconds) and behind Grenada's Joel Phillips (46.30 seconds), while Great Britain's Andrew Steele (44.94 seconds) and Trinidad and Tobago's
Renny Quow Renny Quow (born 25 August 1987) is a Trinidadian male track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and has made it to both the Olympic and World Finals in the event, a rare feat for athletes from the Caribbean in the 400m. He comp ...
(45.13 seconds) lead Martínez's heat. Of the 55 finishing athletes, Martínez ranked 44th. He did not advance to later rounds.


Men's 1,500 meters

David Freeman competed for Puerto Rico at the Beijing Olympics, participating in the men's 1,500 meters race. He was 26 at the time of his participation in Beijing, which marked the first time he competed in any Olympic event. During the August 15 qualification round, Freeman was placed in the third heat versus 12 other athletes. He finished the event in 3:39.70, placing tenth. Nicholar Kemboi of Kenya placed behind Freeman (3:41.56), while Estonia's Tildrek Nurme placed ahead of him (3:38.59). The Puerto Rican runner's heat was led by South African athlete Juan van Deventer (3:36.32) and Spain's
Arturo Casado Arturo Casado Alda (born 26 January 1983 in Madrid) is a Spanish middle distance runner. Achievements Personal bests *800 metres - 1:44.74 - Rieti (ITA) 29.08.2010 *1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fift ...
(3:36.42). Overall, David Freeman ranked 25 out of the 48 finishing athletes. He did not advance to later rounds.


Men's 110 meters hurdles

Héctor Cotto Gonzalez participated for Puerto Rico in the men's 110 meters hurdles race, the only Puerto Rican participating in the event. Cotto was born in
Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
, a city on Puerto Rico's far northeastern coast, and participated in the Olympics for the first time in Beijing at age 23. Cotto participated in the August 17 quarterfinals in the third heat, ranking sixth out of the heat's eight athletes after achieving a time of 13.72 seconds. He defeated Haiti's
Dudley Dorival Dudley Dorival (born 1 September 1975) is a retired Haitian hurdler. He was born in Elizabeth, United States. Dorival graduated from Ewing High School in 1993 and attended and competed at the University of Connecticut. He is best known for his ...
(13.78 seconds), but fell behind the Cayman Islands'
Ronald Forbes Ronald Joseph Forbes (born 5 April 1985) is a track athlete from the Cayman Islands. Forbes is an All American 110 meter hurdler and 60 meter hurdler who competed collegiality for Florida International University from 2005-2008 . Forbes ...
(13.59 seconds) in a heat that was led by Colombia's
Paulo Villar Paulo César Villar Nieto (born 28 July 1978 in Santa Marta, Magdalena) is a Colombian hurdling athlete. At the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games The 20th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games was held in the city ...
(13.37 seconds) and Barbados'
Ryan Brathwaite Ryan Brathwaite (born June 6, 1988) is a track and field athlete from Barbados who won the gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. In recognition of his achievements, on September 17, 2009 Brat ...
(13.38 seconds). Of the 40 athletes who finished the event, Cotto ranked 28th. He progressed to the next round. During the August 19 quarterfinals, Héctor Cotto Gonzalez participated in the first heat. He finished the event in 13.73 seconds, placing last in a heat of eight athletes. He fell behind Russian hurdler
Igor Peremota Igor Viktorovich Peremota (russian: Игорь Викторович Перемота; born January 14, 1981, in Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk) is a Russian hurdler. He won a silver medal at the 2003 Summer Universiade, and competed in the 2004 Olympic ...
(13.70 seconds) and Trinidad and Tobago's Mikel Thomas (13.62 seconds) in a heat that was led by the United States' David Payne (13.24 seconds) and the Czech Republic's
Petr Svoboda Petr Svoboda (born February 14, 1966) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was ...
(13.41 seconds). 30 of the athletes who progressed to the quarterfinal round completed their races; of these, Cotto ranked 27th. He did not advance to later rounds.


Men's 400 meters hurdles

Javier Culson Rodríguez (or Javier Culson Perez) participated in the Beijing Olympics on the behalf of the Puerto Rican track team, participating in the men's 400 meters hurdles. Culson was 24 at the time of his participation in the Beijing Olympics. He had not previously competed in any Olympic Games. During the August 15 qualification heat, Culson participated in the third heat, which was composed of six athletes. The Puerto Rican runner ranked fourth of the six athletes, finishing the race in 49.60 seconds. He ranked ahead of China's
Meng Yan Meng Yan (born 30 September 1980 in Jilin) is a Chinese track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles. He won the silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games. He competed at the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final. His pe ...
(49.73 seconds) and behind Poland's Marek Plawgo (49.60 seconds) in a heat that was led by Jamaica's Markino Buckley (48.65 seconds) and South Africa's
LJ van Zyl Louis Jacobus van Zyl (born 20 July 1985), better known as L. J. van Zyl, is a South African athlete competing in the 400 metre hurdles. He is the South African record holder in the event with a personal best of 47.66 seconds, which he ac ...
(48.86 seconds). Of the 25 finishing athletes, Culson ranked 15th. He progressed to the semifinal round. Puerto Rico's sole representative in the event participated in the first heat during the August 16 semifinal round, where he faced seven other athletes. Culson finished the race in 49.85 seconds, ranking last. South Africa's Pieter de Villiers ranked ahead of him in seventh place (49.44 seconds), as did Russia's Alexander Derevyagin, who ranked in sixth place (49.23 seconds). Culson's heat was led by American hurdlers
Angelo Taylor Angelo F. Taylor (born December 29, 1978) is an American track and field athlete, coach, and winner of 400-meter hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics, who has been suspended by the United States Center for SafeSport for sexual miscon ...
(47.94 seconds) and
Bershawn Jackson Bershawn D. Jackson (born May 8, 1983) is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but also is a 400 m runner. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Bershawn "Batman" Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles ...
(48.02 seconds). Of the 16 semifinalists, Javier Culson ranked 14th. He did not advance to later rounds.


Women's team


Women's 200 meters

Carol Ann Rodríguez Taylor competed for Puerto Rico at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women's 200 meters dash. She was the sole female Puerto Rican representative participating in track and field during that year. Born in Pomona, a northerly suburb of Los Angeles, Rodríguez attended the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
. She attended the Beijing Olympics at age 22, and had not previously attended any Olympic Games as a competitor. During the August 18 qualification round, Rodríguez competed in the second heat against seven other athletes, achieving a time of 24.07 seconds. Of those seven, six finished the event. Rodríguez ranked seventh in the heat behind Mariely Sanchez Hichez of the Dominican Republic (24.05 seconds) and Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova (23.13 seconds). She placed ahead only of Belgium's
Kim Gevaert Kim Gevaert (born 5 August 1978 in Leuven) is a former sprint athlete and Olympic champion from Belgium. Career Her closest brush with a world title came in running 4/100 of a second behind three-time champion Gail Devers at the 2004 IAAF Wor ...
, who did not participate in the race. The leaders of Rodríguez's heat included first place finalist Muna Lee of the United States (22.71 seconds) and French second place finalist Muriel Hurtis-Houari (22.72 seconds). Of the 46 athletes who finished the race, Rodríguez tied Benin's Fabienne Fereaz for 40th place. She did not advance to later rounds.


Women's 400 meters

During her debut at the Beijing Olympics, Carol Rodríguez participated in the women's 400 meters race alongside her entry into the women's 200 meters dash. She was placed in the third heat during the August 16 qualification round, which included seven athletes in total. Rodríguez completed the event in 53.08 seconds, defeating Haiti's Ginou Etienne (53.84 seconds) but falling behind
Barbara Petráhn Barbara Petráhn (born 16 September 1978 in Sopron) is a Hungarian track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres. An 11 time Hungarian Athletics Championships winner in 400 metres, Petráhn matched the ...
of Hungary (53.06 seconds). The leaders of Rodríguez's heat included Russia's Anastasia Kapachinskaya in first place (51.32 seconds) and
Mary Wineberg Mary Wineberg (née Danner, born January 3, 1980) is an Americans, American track and field athlete from Cincinnati, Ohio.McWilliams Arroyo Acevedo represented Puerto Rico as a boxer in the
flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
class (51 kilograms in weight or below). Born in
Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...
, one of Puerto Rico's easternmost cities, Arroyo is the twin brother of fellow Olympian boxer McJoe Arroyo. He participated in the Beijing Olympics at age 22, marking his first ever appearance at an Olympic Games. The Puerto Rican was placed in the first bout during the August 16 first round (known also as the Round of 16), where he faced Hungary's
Norbert Kalucza Norbert Kalucza (born 4 December 1986) is a Hungarian amateur boxer who qualified for the 2008 Olympics. Career He qualified for the Olympics by beating German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * ...
. Arroyo scored 14 punches on Kalucza, while the Hungarian scored six punches in return. Thus, Arroyo defeated Norbert Kalucza and advanced to quarterfinals. During the quarterfinal round of August 20, McWilliams Arroyo participated in the first bout. He challenged Cuba's Andris Laffita Hernandez and lost, scoring only two punches on Laffita while he scored 11 punches on Arroyo. As a result, the Puerto Rican boxer did not advance to the semifinal round on August 22.


Men's bantamweight class (51–54 kg)

McJoe Arroyo Acevedo also represented Puerto Rico in boxing, competing in the
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...
class (under 54 kilograms in weight). Like his twin brother, McWilliams Arroyo, McJoe Arroyo was born in the city of Ceiba on Puerto Rico's eastern end and participated in the Beijing Olympics at the age of 22. Arroyo had not previously competed in any Olympic Games. The preliminary round of the event took place on August 12, where Arroyo challenged Russia's
Sergey Vodopyanov Sergey Vodopyanov (russian: Серге́й Водопьянов) (born 20 September 1987 in Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan) is a Russian amateur boxer best known for winning gold in the bantamweight class at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships. ...
in the sixth bout. Arroyo was defeated, scoring only five punches on Vodopyanov, who scored 10 in return. The Puerto Rican boxer did not advance to the next round.


Men's lightweight class (57–60 kg)

José "Sniper" Pedraza González competed for Puerto Rico in boxing. Participating in the men's
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
class (under 60 kilograms in weight), Pedraza was 19 years old at the time he entered the Beijing Olympics. The boxer had not previously participated in any Olympic Games or events. During the preliminary round of the event, which took place on August 11, Pedraza competed in the ninth bout against Turkey's
Onur Sipal Onur is a common Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Onur" means "Honour" or Pride. Its origin comes from Latin "honor, honōrem", most resembling the word Onore in Italian. Onur may refer to: Given name * Onur Tuna Onur Tuna (born 2 July 1985) i ...
. By the match's end, Sipal had been defeated, scoring only three punches on Pedraza while Pedraza scored ten in return. The Puerto Rican boxer advanced to the August 15 Round of 16, where he was pitted against France's Daouda Sow. Pedraza lost this round, scoring nine punches on Sow, who scored 13 in return. He did not advance to later rounds.


Men's light welterweight class (60–64 kg)

Jonathan "Mantequilla" González Ortíz competed at the Beijing Olympics on Puerto Rico's behalf, participating in the
light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
class (64 kilograms in weight or less). Born in July 1989, González was 19 at the time he participated at the Beijing Olympics. He did not previously compete at any Olympic Games. During the preliminary round of his event, which occurred on August 10, González was placed in the eighth bout against a Romanian boxer named Ionut Gheorghe. González lost the bout, scoring four punches on Gheorghe, who scored 21 in return. He did not advance to later rounds.


Men's light heavyweight class (75–81 kg)

Carlos Negrón Colón participated in boxing events on Puerto Rico's behalf at the Beijing Olympics. Born in the southern inland town of Villalba, Negrón was 21 years old at the time of his participation in the Beijing Olympics of 2008 in the
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
class (less than 81 kilograms in weight). Negrón had not previously competed in any Olympic Games. The preliminary round of his event took place on August 9, when he faced Iran's Mehdi Ghorbani in the eleventh bout. Negrón defeated Ghorbani, scoring four punches on him while receiving 13 in return. The Puerto Rican advanced to the next round. The Round of 16 in Negrón's event took place on August 14, where the Puerto Rican boxer competed in the eighth bout. He was defeated by
Yerkebulan Shynaliyev Yerkebulan Shynaliyev (born October 7, 1987) is an amateur boxer from Kazakhstan best known to win the bronze medal at light heavyweight at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships. Career Shynaliyev won silver at the World Junior Championshi ...
of Kazakhstan, who scored nine punches on Negrón. Carlos Negrón scored three punches in return. He did not advance to later rounds.
Official Olympic Boxing Schedule


Gymnastics


Artistic

Luis Rivera represented Puerto Rico in
artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...
, and was the only Puerto Rican gymnast to appear at the Beijing Olympics. Born in
Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
, a city on Puerto Rico's southeastern coast, Rivera has been affiliated with the Federación Puertorriqueña de Gimnasia (English: ''Puerto Rican Federation of Gymnastics'') and participated in Beijing at age 21. He had not previously competed in any Olympic Games. During the preliminary round, which took place on August 9, Rivera competed against 97 other athletes. During the
floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...
, Rivera scored 15.125 points, placing 24th of the 98 athletes in this event. During the horse vault, Rivera ranked 13th after scoring 16.225 (this was on his first jump; his second jump scored 15.200). Next, during the
parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...
event, Luis Rivera ranked 61st after earning 14.575 points, and later earned 14.675 points in the
horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...
. Rivera ranked 22nd in the
still rings The rings, also known as still rings (in contrast to flying rings), is an artistic gymnastics apparatus and the event that uses it. It is traditionally used only by male gymnasts, due to its extreme upper body strength requirements. Gymnasts oft ...
event after earning 15.250 points and placing 22nd, and finished out the qualification round on the
pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...
by ranking 20th with a score of 14.750. Overall, the Puerto Rican gymnast ranked 13th of the 27 advancing athletes, ending with a total score of 90.600 points. He placed ahead of Russia's Maxim Devyatovskiy (90.350 points) and behind Belarus' Dmitry Savitski (90.650 points). He advanced to the final round. At finals, which took place on August 13, Rivera competed in all the events in which he had previously participated. He earned 15.250 points on the floor; 16.025 points on the horse vault; 14.375 points on the parallel bars; 14.275 points on the horizontal bar; 15.225 points on the still rings; and 15.025 points on the pommel horse. Overall, he earned 90.175 points and finished in 14th place. Rivera placed ahead of Canadian athlete
Adam Wong Adam Wong (born 29 March 1985) is a Canadian male artistic gymnast, representing his nation at international competitions. He participated at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In the ...
(98.800 points) and behind German gymnast Philipp David Boy (90.675 points) in a heat led by China's gold medalist Yang Wei (94.575 points) and tailed by China's
Chen Yibing Chen Yibing (; born 19 December 1984 in Tianjin) is a Chinese gymnast, a four-time world champion on still rings. Chen was part of the Chinese team that won the gold medal in the team event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2006, ...
(74.225 points). Q = Qualified for final
Official Olympic Artistic Gymnastics Schedule


Judo

Alexis Chiclana Melendez represented Puerto Rico in men's judo. He took part in the men's
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
class, which includes athletes under 90 kilograms in weight. Chiclana, born in February 1987, participated in Beijing as a 21-year-old. He had not previously competed in any Olympic events. During the August 13 first round (also known as the Round of 32), Chiclana challenged Spain's
David Alarza David Alarza Palacios (born 7 January 1977 in Madrid) is a Spanish judoka. Alarza began competing in judo at a very young age, taking part in the Club of Judo Brunete in Brunete, Spain. Currently, Alarza coaches in the "Centro de Alto Rendim ...
in the fourteenth match. Alarza defeated Chiclana using uchi mata, scoring
ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon-wazari'' contest, usually kendo, judo, karate or jujitsu. In Judo In Judo, an ippon may be scored for a throw, a pin, a choke or a jointlock. For throws, the four ...
in the event. Chiclana did not progress to further rounds. Pablo Figueroa Carillo participated in the sport of judo at the Beijing Olympics, representing Puerto Rico. He was born in 1981, and, in Beijing, took part in the men's
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
class alongside other athletes over 100 kilograms in weight. He had not participated earlier in any Olympic Games or events. Figueroa took part in the fifth match during the first round (or the Round of 32) on August 15 against Iceland's Thormodur Arni Jonsson. Pablo Figueroa was defeated by Jonsson, who used kosoto gari and scored ippon in the process. Figueroa did not progress to later rounds. Abderramán Brenes la Roche also competed as a judoka on Puerto Rico's behalf. Born in 1978, Brenes participated in Beijing as a 29-year-old, taking part in the competitions of the half middleweight class (less than 81 kilograms in weight). Brenes had not previously competed in any Olympic Games. During the August 12 first round (or Round of 32), the judoka faced Italy's
Giuseppe Maddaloni Giuseppe Maddaloni (born 10 July 1976) is an Italian judoka. He was born in Naples. He won a gold medal in the lightweight (66–73 kg) division at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was trained by his father Gianni Maddaloni, in the district of ...
in the sixteenth match Maddaloni defeated the Puerto Rican athlete with a
morote gari is a double leg takedown (grappling) , takedown adopted later by the Kodokan into their List of Kodokan judo techniques, ''Shinmeisho-no-waza'' (newly accepted techniques) list. It is categorized as a hand technique, '' List_of_judo_techniques#Te ...
, scoring yuko. Brenes did not advance to later rounds.


Shooting

Lucas Rafael Bennazar Ortíz participated in the Beijing Olympics as Puerto Rico's only sharpshooter. Born in the northern city of
Guaynabo Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spr ...
, Bennazar first participated in the Olympics as a 35-year-old in Athens that competed in the men's
trap shooting Trap shooting, or trapshooting in North America, is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting, which is shooting shotguns at clay targets. The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays. They are disting ...
and
double trap Double trap is a shotgun shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed. The layout of double trap shooting is similar to that of trap shoot ...
. He again participated in the double trap when he returned to the Olympics as a 39-year-old. Bennazar took part in the preliminary round of the event, which took place on August 11. During this time, Bennazar earned 45 points in the first round; 39 points in the second round; and 39 points again in the third round. His overall score during preliminaries was 123 points, placing 17th out of 19 athletes. He defeated New Zealand's
Graeme Ede Graeme Ede (born 7 February 1960 in Southbridge, New Zealand) is a shooting competitor for New Zealand. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games he won a gold medal in the Shooting - Trap event. He previously competed at the 1994 Commonwealth Ga ...
(113 points) and fell behind Russia's Vitaly Fokeev (130 points), falling behind heat leader
Walton Eller Walton Glenn Eller III (born January 6, 1982) is an American Trap shooting, trap shooter and five-time U.S. Olympic athlete (2000 Summer Olympics, 2000, 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004, 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008, 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012, 2016 Summ ...
of the United States who set an Olympic record with his score (145 points). His score remained the same in the final round on August 12, and he remained in 17th place. ;Men


Swimming


Men's team

Daniel Velez Daniel Velez (born December 9, 1983) is a Puerto Rican former swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events. He represented his nation Puerto Rico at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has won a career total of three medals (two golds and one bron ...
represented Puerto Rico as one of its two male swimmers at the Beijing Olympics. He was born in December 1983, making him 24 at the time of his participation at the 2008 Olympic Games. He swam in the 100 meters breaststroke, marking the first time he ever competed at an Olympic Games. During the August 9 preliminary round, Velez participated in the third heat against seven other athletes. He completed the event in 1:01.80, placing first in the heat ahead of India's second place finalist
Sandeep Sejwal Sandeep Sejwal (born 23 January 1989) is an Indian swimmer who has participated in Olympics 2008. He contested in the men's 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the 2010 Asian Juniors in Beijing, but did not reach the finals in both events. ...
(1:02.19) and Paraguay's third place finalist Genaro Prono (1:02.32). Of the 63 competitors who finished the event, Velez placed 33rd. He did not advance to later rounds. Douglas Lennox-Silva represented Puerto Rico in swimming events. Born in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
, Lennox-Silva has been affiliated with the Lake Forest Swim Club in the
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
area. He is the brother of
Kristina Lennox-Silva Kristina Lennox-Silva (born April 24, 1985 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a female freestyle swimming, freestyle and butterfly swimming, butterfly swimmer from Puerto Rico, who was born in the United States. During her college career she swam fo ...
, who also competed in the Beijing Olympics as a swimmer. The Puerto Rican swam in the men's 100 meters butterfly, which held its preliminary round on August 14. Lennox-Silva participated in the fifth heat against seven other athletes, placing fifth after finishing the race in 53.34 seconds. He displaced Canada's
Adam Sioui Adam Carter Sioui (born May 10, 1982) is a former competition swimmer who represented Canada in international events. He was a butterfly and freestyle specialist and was the Canadian national record-holder in the 200-metre butterfly. Early yea ...
(53.38 seconds), who placed sixth, but fell behind fifth-place finalist
François Heersbrandt François Heersbrandt (born 12 December 1989 in Uccle, Belgium) is a Belgian swimmer. He competed in the 100 m butterfly event at the 2012 Summer Olympics and was eliminated in the semi-finals despite setting a new Belgian record (52.22) in his ...
of Belgium (53.33 seconds). South Africa's
Lyndon Ferns Lyndon Ferns (born 24 September 1983 in Pietersburg, South Africa) is a retired Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer from South Africa. He swam for South Africa at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he was a ...
(52.04 seconds) and Croatia's
Mario Todorović Mario Todorović (born 11 October 1988 in Dubrovnik, Croatia) is a Croatian swimmer. He competed in the 100m butterfly and 4 × 100 m medley relay events at the 2008 Summer Olympics and in the 50 m freestyle event at the 2012 File ...
(52.26 seconds) led the heat. Of the 65 athletes who finished the preliminary round, Douglas Lennox-Silva placed 38th. He did not advance to later rounds. Douglas Lennox-Silva also competed for Puerto Rico in the men's 200 meters butterfly race. During the August 11 preliminary round, Lennox-Silva was placed in the second heat, where he challenged seven other athletes. He finished the race in 2:01.69, placing sixth in the heat ahead of Serbia's Vladan Markovic (2:03.13), who placed seventh, and behind Venezuela's Alexis Márquez Rivas (2:01.25), who placed fifth. The heat itself was led by Filipino swimmer James Walsh (1:59.39) and Spain's Javier Núñez (2:00.24). 44 swimmers competed in the first round of the event, and Lennox-Silva placed 38th. He did not advance to later rounds.


Women's team

Vanessa García Vega participated in the women's 50 meters freestyle for Puerto Rico. Born in the territorial capital of San Juan, García first participated in the Olympics at the age of 20, when she represented Puerto Rico in both the women's 50 meters freestyle and women's 100 meters freestyle at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She returned to the Olympics at age 24, this time only in the 50 meters freestyle in Beijing. During the preliminary round, which took place on August 15, García participated in the ninth heat against seven other athletes. She finished the event in 25.81 seconds, placing last in the heat behind Greece's Martha Matsa (25.68 seconds). The leaders of García's heat included Estonia's
Triin Aljand Triin Aljand (born 8 July 1985) is a retired Estonian swimmer who won a silver medal at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships in 50 m butterfly. She competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and 100 bu ...
(25.29 seconds) and Slovakia's Martina Moravcova (25.47 seconds). Of the 90 athletes who finished the event, García placed 35th. She did not advance to later rounds.
Kristina Lennox-Silva Kristina Lennox-Silva (born April 24, 1985 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a female freestyle swimming, freestyle and butterfly swimming, butterfly swimmer from Puerto Rico, who was born in the United States. During her college career she swam fo ...
also represented Puerto Rico as a female swimmer in the 400 meters freestyle. Similar to her brother Douglas Lennox-Silva, Kristina Lennox-Silva swam for Villanova Swimming and Diving, at
Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She participated in the Beijing Olympics at age 23, and had not previously participated in any Olympic Games. In the women's 400 meters freestyle, Lennox-Silva participated during the seven-person second heat of the August 10 preliminary round. She ranked fourth in the heat, having finished the event in 4:20.17. She placed ahead of South Korea's Lee Ji-Eun (4:21.53) and behind Finland's Eva Lehtonen (4:20.07) in a heat led by Venezuela's Yanel Andreina Pinto Perez (4:18.09) and the Ukraine's Nataliya Khudyakova (4:18.34). Of the 41 athletes who participated in and completed the preliminary round, Lennox-Silva ranked 36th. She did not progress to the next round. Kristina Lennox-Silva also participated in the women's 200 meters butterfly. She was placed in the first heat during the preliminary round of the event, which took place on August 12. Three other athletes participated in her heat. Kristina Lennox-Silva placed last of four athletes, earning a time of 2:17.27. She placed behind
Ingvild Snildal Ingvild Snildal (born 25 August 1988 in Asker, Norway)
from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-07-1 ...
of Norway (2:14.53) in a heat that was led by Greek first-place swimmer Eleftheria Evgenia Efstathiou (2:13.27) and Turkey's second-place athlete Gulsah Gunenc (2:14.44). Overall, 34 athletes finished the event's preliminary round. Lennox-Silva ranked last of those, and did not advance to later rounds.


Summary

;Men ;Women


Taekwondo

Ángel Román Martínez competed for Puerto Rico in taekwondo. Born in 1984, Román entered Beijing at age 24, competing in the men's
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
class (which includes athletes under 80 kilograms in weight). Román had not previously competed in any Olympic Games or events. During the course of the competition's first round, which took place on August 22, Román faced Canada's
Sébastien Michaud Sébastien Michaud (born May 7, 1987) started in taekwondo at the age of five, following in his father's and brothers footsteps. Born in Joliette, Quebec, he currently resides in Quebec City, Quebec where he studies software engineering at Univer ...
in the sixth match. The Puerto Rican judoka won a total of two ''deuk-jeom'' (points), with one in the first round and one in the third round, but lost a ''deuk-jeom'' to a deduction. His Canadian opponent scored a total of three ''deuk-jeom'', but lost one to a deduction. Thus, as Michaud ended with a score higher than Román's score, Michaud won the round. Román did not advance to later rounds. Asunción Ocasio Rodríguez represented Puerto Rico in taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics, and was the only female athlete from Puerto Rico that Games to represent the commonwealth in the sport. Born in June 1987, Ocasio participated in the Beijing Olympics at age 21 in the
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
division, which includes athletes under 67 kilograms in weight. During the qualification round of the event, Ocasio faced Greek athlete
Elisavet Mystakidou Elisavet "Elli" Mystakidou ( el, Ελλη Μυστακίδου; born 14 August 1977 in Giannitsa) is a Greek taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. She participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where she earned a silver medal in t ...
. Both athletes scored one point on the other, but Ocasio defeated Mystakidou and advanced to the next round. Ocasio received a bye and skipped the first round's
repechage Repechage (; french: repêchage, "fishing out, rescuing") is a practice in series competitions that allows participants who failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round. A well known example is the wild car ...
round. During the quarterfinal round, Ocasio again participated in the first match, this time facing German athlete
Helena Fromm Helena Fromm (born 5 August 1987 in Oeventrop, West Germany) is a German taekwondo athlete. Representing Germany at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships in Beijing, China, she won the bronze medal in the welterweight (–67  ...
. In this match, the Puerto Rican athlete scored two points on Fromm, who scored none in return. Ocasio defeated her German opponent and progressed to the next round. During the semifinal round, Asunción Ocasio now faced Canada's
Karine Sergerie Karine Sergerie (born February 1, 1985) is the 2007 world champion in women's lightweight (under 63 kg) taekwondo. She is Canada's first female world champion in the sport. Biography Sergerie was born in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, Canada ...
. Sergerie scored two points on Ocasio, who did not score any in return. Thus, Ocasio's Canadian opponent progressed to the gold medal match, while she challenged Croatia's Sandra Saric for the bronze medal. Saric defeated Ocasio by scoring five points on her, while Ocasio was only able to return one. She placed fifth in the event, tying Australia's
Tina Morgan Tina Michelle Tanrıkulu (née Morgan, born 10 August 1982) is an Australian taekwondo coach and former international competitor.Geralee Vega Morales participated on Puerto Rico's behalf as its only weightlifter. Born in 1986, Vega was 22 at the time of her participation in Beijing. She took part in the women's
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
event, which includes athletes under 58 kilograms in weight. She had not previously participated in any Olympic Games. Vega's event took place on August 11, and included 12 athletes in total. During the snatch phase of the event, Vega was given three attempts. She unsuccessfully attempted to lift 90 kilograms of weight during her first two attempts, but succeeded on her third, tying eighth in that part of the event. She then attempted 112 kilograms during the
clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without res ...
phrase of the event, successfully lifting it on her first attempt. She did not succeed in lifting 115 kilograms on her second attempt, or 116 kilograms on her third. Overall, the combination of her highest scores in snatch (90) and clean and jerk (112) yielded a score of 202 points. Geralee Vega Morales ranked ninth in the event, ahead of Poland's Marieta Gotfryd (200 points) and behind Romania's Roxana Cocos (204 points). China's
Chen Yanqing Chen Yanqing (; born May 4, 1979) is a Chinese weightlifter who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. She won the gold medal in the 58 kg class in both competitions, making her the first woman to win gold medals ...
set an Olympic record when she took the gold medal with 244 points.


See also

*
Puerto Rico at the 2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, 15th Pan American Games were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 13 July to 29 July 2007. Medals Gold *Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg): McWilliams Arroyo *Men's Team Competition: Rafael Morales (gymnast), Rafa ...
*
Puerto Rico at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Puerto Rico competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. The delegation consisted of three competitors, one track and field athlete, one sailor, and one sport shooter. Medalists The country won one medal, a bronze. Track and field athl ...
*
Puerto Rico at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The XXIst Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico from July 17, 2010 to August 1, 2010. Results by event Athletics Badminton Basketball Handball Bowling Boxing Rafting Diving ...


References

{{Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...