Puerto Rican freestyle wrestler
Sebastian Rivera (born 27 August 1998) is a Stateside Puerto Rican freestyle wrestler who competes internationally at 65 kilograms.[1] The 2023 World silver medalist, he represented Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, earning the bronze medal and silver medal, respectively.[2]
Career
Raised in New Jersey, Rivera started wrestling at a young age, winning prestigious tournaments in high school such as Super 32 and the New Jersey state championship as a senior out of Christian Brothers Academy.[3] Entering Northwestern University in 2016, Rivera became a two-time All-American (2018 and 2019) and a two-time Big Ten Conference champion (2019 and 2020), but was not able to compete at the 2020 NCAA championships as they were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic (granting him a new year of eligibility).[4]
Transferring to Rutgers University as a graduate student, Rivera claimed All-American honors once again in March 2021.[5] After, he started representing Puerto Rico in freestyle competition, competing at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament (22nd), Pan American Championships (5th), World Championships (7th), and Puerto Rican Nationals (1st).[6][7][8][9] Back to folkstyle season, Rivera once again became an All-American in 2022, concluding his college career.[3]
In May 2022, Rivera claimed a silver medal at the Pan American Championships after making the finals.[10] In June and July respectively, he became the prestigious Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series champion and the Grand Prix of Spain champion.[11][12] He lost his bronze medal match in the 65 kg event at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.[13]
Achievements
References
External links
