Mexican Athletes Shine at the Olympic Games
Although Mexico did not win any gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, several Mexican athletes managed to represent their country on the podium in various disciplines.
The Mexican delegation, known as Tri Color, achieved a total of five medals - three silver and two bronze - throughout the Olympic Games. Diving and Taekwondo did not disappoint in securing these medals. The surprises for the national athletes came in the disciplines of Boxing, Modern Pentathlon, and Race Walking.
For the third consecutive edition, Maria Espinoza won the silver medal in Taekwondo after being defeated by Chinese taekwondo athlete Zhen Shouyin by five points. Despite her loss, the Mexican athlete can proudly possess a bronze medal from London 2012 and a gold medal from Beijing 2008.
Another rising star, Germán Sánchez, managed to secure the silver medal in diving from the 10-meter platform, despite having suffered a shoulder injury prior to his performance. The score that the Mexican athlete achieved was impressive, totaling 532.70 points. This silver medal in Rio became his first individual medal.
Boxer Misael Rodríguez became the first Mexican to guarantee a medal in the 75-kilogram category. Thanks to this pugilist, Mexican boxing regained its position as one of the promising disciplines in our country.
Ismael Hernández made history for Mexico by winning the bronze medal in Modern Pentathlon, a feat that no Mexican had ever achieved before.
However, it was not all glory for Hernández. In 2011, he was sanctioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for cold medicine. Later, during the 2012 London Olympic Games, he suffered an injury during the equestrian event, which eliminated him from the competition.
The surprise for the Mexican delegation came from the feet, or rather the hands, of María Guadalupe González, who won the silver medal in the 20-kilometer Race Walking event with a time of 1:28:37 hours.
Throughout the competition, González consistently remained among the top positions. After passing the 10-kilometer mark, 'Lupita' fought alongside three Chinese, two Italian, and one Brazilian athlete, but she never backed down and continued her journey towards the silver medal.