Saidel Horta, focused on Paris 2024

Boxer Saidel Horta devotes himself to training hard with the peace of mind that comes with having earned his ticket to Paris 2024. His next target: having a good performance at the City of Lights.

Despite having just 21 years old, he will not get to Paris being an unknown athlete. He won the silver medal in the AIBA World Championship held in Tashkent 2023 in the 57 kg division.

Although he did not perform well at the Central American and the Caribbean Games held in San Salvador, where he lost too early, he took revenge at the Pan American Games in Chile few months later, and reached the finals.

Not bad for an athlete who was on the verge of retiring in 2021, when he could not finish in the top three and mulled the idea that he was not good enough to be in the boxing elite.

However, if there is one thing that characterizes great athletes, it is to rise from a setback. In less than two years, he will be competing at the most important event in the world.

As part of his training, he recently won a bout against France's main squad, and then had a brief interview with CubaSí.

“All these friendly bouts help me gain confidence. I am improving in my boxing and results are being seen.”

You are no longer a stranger, do you know who your opponents are?

“I have to dig deeply into all my opponents. I am working very hard to earn a medal. Right now, there is a great team environment. Everyone is focused on Paris. My mission is to train as hard as I can since a good training usually results in great performances.”

Maybe when you won in the semifinals in Santiago (de Chile), you did not realize about the importance of already having a guaranteed place for the Olympics. How do you see it now?

“Being classified gives me peace of mind, with the experiences of my teammates I have seen how complicated it is and this allows me to focus myself more on preparation.”

However, the downside of it is that you will barely have competitions ahead…

"Because of my youth, it would have been good for me to have another preparatory competition. But we will try to fix it with training. I trust in the experience of the technical staff to get the most out of us."

How do you picture yourself and the team for Paris?

“Everyone here is dreaming of a good performance, because it is the most important event in four years. It is a whole Olympic cycle that is at stake and no one wants to be left off the podium.”

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff