Roberto Urrutia
Encyclopedia
Roberto "Tony" Urrutia was an Olympic
weightlifter, born 1957 in Cuba
. He later defected
to, and competed for, the United States
.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
weightlifter, born 1957 in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He later defected
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
to, and competed for, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Weightlifting achievements
- Senior world champion (1977-1979).
- Olympic team member (Cuban Team 1976; U.S.A. Team 1988 and 1992).
- Pan Am Games champion (1975 and 1979).
- Silver medalist in Pan Am Games (1987).
- Senior national champion (1987-1989, 1991, and 1992).
- Set five world records during career.
- All-time senior American record holder in clean and jerkClean and jerkThe clean and jerk is one of the two Olympic weightlifting events .The clean portion of the lift refers to the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles...
and total.