2024-02-16 17:51:08
Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360
Foto: RL Hevia
In addition to his extraordinary qualities in the ring, boxer Roniel Iglesias now holds, twice, the sales record for a Cuban athlete in the traditional auction of Olympic items organized by the American company RR Auction.
The second gold medal that the boxer from Pinar del Río made available to that auction house, in this case the first one he won in London 2012, was sold for an amount of 83,133 dollars, exactly the same amount he received last year. passed its golden metal corresponding to Tokyo 2021.
In the current edition of Olympic Memorabilia, which included hundreds of pieces and objects linked to events under the five rings, both winter and summer, Iglesias’ garment was the second highest valued, behind one belonging to the first Games of the modern era in Athens 1896.
But in the same lot this year, closed on January 18, other medals of Cuban athletes were also sold, such as the silver of a historical figure of national boxing of the stature of Sixto Soria, which reached 19 thousand 134 dollars.
The piece is the oldest auctioned piece by an Antillean athlete that is known and was accompanied by a brief note from Soria, who won the prize after losing to Leon Spinks in the final of the 1976 Montreal Games. .
The third Cuban medal that was part of the 2024 collection was the silver of prominent fighter Juan Luis Marén, who climbed the Olympic podium three times but never proclaimed himself champion.
That was the Santiago gladiator’s second medal that ended up being auctioned, as he had previously parted with his silver in Sydney 2000 for 11,251 dollars. Now, the metal of the same color that was hung in Atlanta 1996 reached 10,999 of the US currency.
Likewise, a trio of baseball medals were auctioned, although in none of the cases their original owner was revealed. Of them, only one gold from the 1996 Games was recorded as sold for $26,575.
With that of 2024, there are already more than a dozen articles, objects or medals of Cuban athletes that are auctioned at Olympic Memorabilia. Before the two Roniel brands, the record for highest sale was held by the gold of the Holguín shooter Leuris Pupo in London, which recorded a final sale of 73,205 dollars in 2021, and was also escorted by the gold award of jumper Iván Pedroso (71,335) in Sydney 2000.