Alan Vera
Personal information | |
---|---|
National team | Cuba (2010–2019), United States (2020–2024) |
Born | Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | October 26, 1990
Died | September 23, 2024 Jersey City, New Jersey, US | (aged 33)
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Weight | 97 kg (214 lb; 15 st 4 lb) |
Spouse | Elena Pirozhkova |
Sport | |
Sport | Greco-Roman wrestling |
Club | New York Athletic Club |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up Two-time Pan American Championships medalist 2019 Bill Farrell Memorial Invitational champion |
Alan Ernesto Vera García (October 26, 1990 – September 23, 2024) was a Cuban-American Greco-Roman wrestler.[1]
International career
[edit]Cuba
[edit]In 2015, he won a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the Pan American Wrestling Championships while competing for Cuba. He would be the Cuban national champion four times.[2]
United States
[edit]Later, he emigrated to the United States, moving to Jersey City, New Jersey in 2017.[3] In 2019 he would begin competing for his adopted country.
In 2023, Vera won a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships for the United States, and in 2024, he won a silver medal at the event for Team USA.[2]
In 2024, Vera qualified the United States for the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 97 kg division at the 2024 Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament in Acapulco, Mexico.[4][5] Vera narrowly missed out representing the U.S. at the Olympics when he came in second place in the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials.[6]
Personal life
[edit]In 2016, Vera married to Elena Pirozhkova, a former world champion American sport wrestler and two-time Olympian.[4][7]
In June 2024, the pair welcomed their first child, a daughter.[8]
Death
[edit]On 29 July 2024, Vera suffered cardiac arrest while playing soccer with friends.[9][2] He was hospitalized and died on September 23, 2024 at the age of 33.[4][10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Results". International Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Greco-Roman National Team member Alan Vera, 33, has passed away". www.themat.com. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ NJ.com, Bill Evans | NJ Advance Media for (June 8, 2022). "Jersey City resident qualifies for U.S. wrestling Greco world team". nj. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "U.S. Greco-Roman star Alan Vera passes away". uww.org. September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie (February 29, 2024). "Wrestlers Spencer Woods, Alan Vera and Cohlton Schultz obtain Paris 2024 quotas for USA at Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier". olympics.com.
- ^ Evans, Bill. "Olympic Wrestling Trials, 2024: Jersey City transplant Alan Vera one win from berth". www.msn.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/olympics/news-god-finally-let-soul-rest-alan-vera-s-wife-former-world-champion-elena-pirozhkova-pens-emotional-note-wrestler-s-demise
- ^ "US wrestling star Alan Vera dies at 33". TODAY.com. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ Schad, Tom. "U.S. wrestler Alan Vera dies at 33 after suffering cardiac arrest during soccer game". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ Dar, Zahid Rashid (September 24, 2024). "Two-time US National Champion Alan Vera passes away following 8 week-long stay in the ICU due to cardiac arrest". Sportskeeda.
- ^ Abbott, Gary (September 24, 2024). "Greco-Roman National Team member Alan Vera, 33, has passed away". USA Wrestling.
External links
[edit]- Alan Vera at United World Wrestling
- Alan Vera at USA Wrestling
- Alan Vera at the International Wrestling Database
- 1990 births
- 2024 deaths
- Sportspeople from Jersey City, New Jersey
- Wrestlers from New Jersey
- American wrestlers
- Cuban wrestlers
- Cuban expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Wrestlers at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Greco-Roman wrestlers
- Pan American Games medalists in wrestling
- Pan American Games competitors for Cuba
- Pan American Wrestling Championships medalists
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- Sportspeople from Santiago de Cuba
- Sports deaths in New Jersey