Robson Conceicao has made history on his home turf by becoming the first Brazilian boxer to take home a gold medal.
Conceicao defeated France’s Sofiane Ourmiha in the lightweight boxing final with a unanimous decision.
“It is the most incredible day in my life,” the native of Salvador, Brazil, told reporters after winning.
“I had this dream that I would make history and I don’t want to wake up from this dream,” he said, thanking God, his family and his hometown supporters.
Conceicao’s achievement is particularly inspiring given his humble upbringing.
He worked on his grandma’s vegetable cart before school, and was inspired to take up boxing by his uncle’s reputation for street brawling during Salvador’s carnival.
“I had a very difficult childhood, I had a very complicated start in boxing with no support at all … and today I’m an Olympic champion,” he said.
The Brazilian also lauded his opponent after the fight.
“He’s not just a good fighter, he’s a very, very good fighter. It was very difficult, a very, very difficult fight,” Conceicao said. “He really showed that he wanted to win and thank God, I was better than him today.”
Now, he says he needs to catch his breath. Then it’s back to training, hopefully for the next Games in Tokyo 2020.
