Photo By Cpl. Karina Lopezmata | Courtesy Photo of U.S. Marine Sgt. Joshua Medina at the Pan-American Championships in...... read more read more
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Red, white and blue are the only colors Sgt. Joshua Medina, a wrestler with the All-Marine Wrestling Team (AMWT), wears as he proudly represents the United States when wearing a military uniform and Puerto Rico when wearing a wrestling uniform.
Medina joined the Marine Corps in May of 2012 and seven years later was offered the opportunity to become part of the AMWT.
Once Medina joined the team, he was given the privilege to be a part of the Puerto Rican national team and was introduced to Greco-Roman, a new style of wrestling he had never done before. Medina was then asked to compete in his first tournament at the Pan-American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 18-21.
“I immediately knew that I needed to get to work and catch up with this new style,” Medina said. “I was scared to try it out, but I was also really dedicated, so I caught up with some of the higher-level guys relatively quickly.”
Medina trained learning this new style for the next three months. He soon found himself standing on the mat of his first match in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“It felt like my nerves were going crazy and I was really anxious,” Medina said. “I was also really excited to finally get out there and show my teammates and family that I can overcome adversity.”
Medina took third place in the 2019 Pan-American Championships.
“When Medina first got here, he didn’t know much about the new style, but he improved,” said Cpl. Jerman Diaz Maldonado, Medina’s trainer who also represents the Puerto Rico national team. “He is a great Marine and he proved that he could do anything.”
According to Medina, the tournament was nothing but a learning experience. Wrestling is an individual sport where you get out whatever you put in, he says.
“I love wrestling, I love the Marine Corps and I love to go out there and represent,” Medina said. “Not just the Marine Corps and Puerto Rico, but my family name, too.”
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2019 09:47 |
| Story ID: | 321316 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 241 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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