Sebastian Rivera
Puerto Rican freestyle wrestler
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sebastian Rivera | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1998-08-27) 27 August 1998 (age 26) Toms River, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Rutgers Northwestern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Rutgers Athletic Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Scott Goodale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals |  (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Puerto Rico | ||||
| 2021 | World Wrestling Championships | Oslo, Norway | 7th | Freestyle 65 kg |
| 2022 | World Wrestling Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 5th | Freestyle 65 kg |
| 2023 | World Wrestling Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd | Freestyle 65 kg |
| 2024 | Summer Olympic Games | Paris, France | 3rd | Freestyle 65 kg |
References
- ^ "Sebastian Rivera – Puerto Rican Nationals Gold | Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club". scarletknightswrestlingclub.com. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Rutgers Wrestling Star Going for the Gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics | Rutgers University Foundation". rutgersfoundation.org. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Sebastian Rivera – Wrestling". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Sebastian Rivera". Northwestern Wildcats.
- ^ "Meet the 2021 NCAA college wrestling All-Americans | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Rivera Readies for World OG Qualifier". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Rivera Places at 2021 Pan-American Championships". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Vesper, Erik (4 October 2021). "Rutgers' Rivera Concludes Run at World Championships". On the Banks. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Sebastian Rivera – Puerto Rican Nationals Gold | Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club". scarletknightswrestlingclub.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Rivera Earns Silver at 2022 Pan-American Championships". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Importante oro en la lucha olímpica en el torneo Matteo Pellicone en Italia". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 27 June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ VOCERO, Giovanny Vega, EL. "La escuadra boricua de lucha olímpica se une a un campamento internacional en España". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "2022 World Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
| Olympic Games | ||
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| Preceded by Brian Afanador and Adriana Díaz | Flagbearer for Puerto Rico with Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Paris 2024 | Succeeded by |
