David De Pina has made history by clinching Cape Verde’s first Olympic medal with a victory in the boxing quarterfinals at the Paris Games. Competing in the men’s 51-kilogram division, De Pina’s triumph over Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba guarantees him at least a bronze medal.
De Pina’s achievement marks a monumental moment for Cape Verde, a nation of about 600,000 people spread across ten islands. Despite participating in the Olympics seven times before, Cape Verde had never secured a medal.
“I did it for my country because we deserve it,” De Pina stated. “We are a small country, a small island, and we never did this before. I’m the first one to write this story, ever!”
In a thrilling showdown, De Pina outmaneuvered Chinyemba, the African champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist. De Pina’s athleticism and versatile fighting style proved too much for his opponent.
Despite nearly giving up boxing after struggling to support his family while training in Portugal, De Pina persevered. He credits his success to coach Bruno de Carvalho, describing him as “the engineer of all my fights.”
“I showed the world that we are small, but we are strong and we are talented,” De Pina said.
