# Cuban Olympic champion Héctor Milián in serious condition with Covid-19

**Date:** 07/06/2021

The multi-champion world titleholder and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Héctor Milián is hospitalized in serious condition due to complications from Covid-19.

The Greco-Roman style wrestler, who was the first gold medalist at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, has been admitted for a few days now to the Luis Díaz Soto Military Hospital in Havana. He is being treated there in intensive care.

The "King," a nickname he earned for being a specialist in throwing suplexes despite competing in the over 100-kilogram category, retired from active sport after the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000. He is considered one of the best athletes of the last century on the Island.

A native of Pinar del Río and 53 years old, having just turned that age a little over a month ago, Milián has in his display cases, in addition to Olympic gold, gold medals in a world championship, five in world cups, four in Pan American Games, and two in Central American Games; as well as silver medals in three world championships, and two World Cups.

For all these results, he was elected the best wrestler of the 20th century in Cuba.

The news comes amid a critical situation in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, which seems uncontrollable despite the "massive health intervention" campaign that has been applied since April with vaccine candidates developed in the Sovereign Island—Soberana 02 and Abdala.

The new coronavirus has struck Cuban sports. In April, Higinio Vélez, president of the Cuban Baseball Federation, died as a victim of Covid-19. His death occurred just two weeks after Ernesto Reynoso, the national commissioner of the sport, died from the same cause.