Alan Vera
Cuban-American wrestler (1990–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alan Ernesto Vera García (October 26, 1990 – September 23, 2024) was a Cuban-American Greco-Roman wrestler.[1]
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United States (2020–2024)
Vera in 2021 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| National team | Cuba (2010–2019), United States (2020–2024) |
| Born | October 26, 1990 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Died | September 23, 2024 (aged 33) Jersey City, New Jersey, US |
| 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 bests | U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up Two-time Pan American Championships medalist 2019 Bill Farrell Memorial Invitational champion |
International career
Cuba
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
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
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
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]
