Cape Verde, a small country in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, sent a total of seven athletes to the Olympic Games.
That figure alone practically shows that there were no representatives in team sports, nor was it realistic - the honor of the country of about 580 thousand inhabitants was thus defended by judoka Đamila Silva, swimmer Joze Tati, swimmer Žaila Pina, Viktor Alvareš de Oliveira (fencing), marathon runner Samuel Freire, and in boxing David de Pina and Ivanus Moreira.
And among them is an athlete who brings a medal from Paris to Cape Verde - the first ever for this former Portuguese colony. It is David de Pina, a bronze boxer in the lightest flyweight category (up to 51 kilograms), who drew the attention of the audience in Paris because of his interesting hairstyle and comparison with the famous cartoon character - Mickey Mouse.
- The coach gave me an idea for styling. He told me that I should look different from other African men - many have braids, I wanted something different. It was his great vision, now people recognize and imitate me - said De Pina.
His hairstyle made him famous, but he had to earn the medal with his fists - he secured the bronze (as did Junior Alcantara from the Dominican Republic), and in the semi-finals of the boxing tournament at Roland Garros, he lost to the new champion Hasanboj Dusmatov. Dusmatov, the gold medalist from Rio de Janeiro 2016, was better than the Frenchman Bilal Benama in the fight for the title.
- I gave my country what it dreamed of. Now more people around the world will know about Cape Verde. We deserved to be happy - said the 28-year-old, 172 centimeters tall.
Cape Verde has made its debut at the Games since 1996. For all these years, it is only certain that they have a representative in the marathon, but boxing is a sport that has written history. And probably nothing will ever be the same again.
- 10.500 thousand athletes from all over the world came to Paris, and not all of them can win a medal - said De Pina, who carried the flag of his country at the opening ceremony of the Games on the Seine.
De Pina's life story is quite difficult. Coming from a poor family, he started boxing at the age of 15 in order to learn to defend himself, first of all, against his elders. Because he was left to himself.
He made his debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago, and then he got the opportunity to continue training more seriously in Portugal. He accepted the invitation, even though it meant that he had to leave his four-year-old daughter in Cape Verde.
- I went through a difficult period. I was awarded bronze, but that won't change me because I know very well where I came from and what I had to do to return from Paris with a medal. Everything makes sense now - "Mickey Mouse" concluded.
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