Mexico has a rich history in the Olympic games, dating back to the country’s first Olympic appearance back in 1900. Since then, Mexico has sent athletes to 23 Olympic Games; that is certainly an impressive run! In the most recent Olympics, held in the gorgeous Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, Mexico sent its largest delegation of athletes since the 1972 Summer Olympics! 125 athletes from Mexico flocked to Rio to show their pride for their country and compete on the biggest international stage.
FMI Rentals Congratulates Mexican Olympic Athletes
80 men and 45 women represented Mexico in the Rio Summer Olympic Games in 26 different sports, and 5 of those athletes came home with a medal! Mexico brought home three silver medals and two bronze medals in a variety of sports, including taekwondo, boxing, and 10-meter platform diving. Congratulations to the following Olympic medalists from Mexico:
- Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez – Silver medalist in women’s 20-kilometer walk
- German Sanchez – Silver medalist in 10-meter platform diving
- Maria Espinoza – Silver medalist in women’s taekwondo
- Misael Rodriguez – Bronze medalist in men’s middleweight boxing
- Ismael Hernandez – Bronze medalist in men’s modern pentathlon
National Heroes
The Olympics are a time where athletes that are often only praised within the circles of their particular sport suddenly become household names in their home countries! Perhaps the most inspiring story from Mexico in the 2016 Olympic Games is that of Misael Rodriguez. Rodriguez won the first medal for Mexico in these Summer Olympic games in boxing, which is a sport that is followed much more closely in Mexico than it is in other countries. His story is literally a rag-to-riches tale that reads like a Hollywood movie script. As recently as 2015, Rodriguez was begging on the streets for money to support his boxing career, and his story triumphantly ends with Olympic glory.
Ismael Hernandez is another inspiring story, as his bronze medal in the modern pentathlon makes him the first person in Mexico’s history to medal in this event. Maria Espinoza is another historically decorated Olympian for Mexico. An Olympic veteran, Espinoza won gold in her event back in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. Although she took home the silver in taekwondo this time around, she is the third athlete in Mexico’s history to win three Olympic medals, and she is the first Mexican woman ever to do so. Mexico’s performance at the 2016 Olympic Games is sure to be a source of pride!
