His is a happy ending fairy tale: born in Cuba, where he lived with his grandmother and faced a difficult childhood, at 7 he started wrestling. It was only later that he discovered that his father, living in the United States by then, was a wrestling champion too. At 18 he won a bronze medal at the world championships, before being banned by the Cuban Federation slightly thereafter, barring him from the London Olympic Games. After this disappointment, he met the Italian female wrestler Dalma Caneva, married her and acquired the Italian citizenship. He has achieved extraordinary results competing for Italy: two gold medals and a silver medal at the World championships, four gold medals and a bronze medal at the European championships. In between he clinched the Olympic bronze medal in Rio 2016, which left a bitter taste in his mouth as he came into the competition as the top favourite, aiming for the highest podium. He loves dancing salsa and would love to try his hand at acting in the future. In the meanwhile, he feels that time has come to fulfil his lifetime dream with the only gold medal missing from his collection.