From his first Pan American Games match with Adrian Spellen, Gerardo's leg was bothering him. However, it wasn't until his third bout when he received a blow on the inside of his knee from Martin Sio (Argentina) that he thought he might not recover. Each time he raised his leg he felt the cramp that virtually immobilized his leg.

"I knew I was limited. My trainer and I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't use my right leg, which favored the defense of my rival, Anthony Graff (United States), who knew beforehand where to strike. Nonetheless, I was able to maintain the fight, tying at one in regular time and then winning in extra time," said Ortiz.

And the final point that gave him the Cuban his victory came from the injured right leg. "We were in extra time in which the first person to obtain a point wins. I choose the perfect moment to change to the right as I had to do it quickly to surprise him. I was risking everything and I said to myself: there goes the right, and I got it," said Ortiz.

A very excited Gerardo ran around the entire Olympic stadium with the Cuban flag on his shoulders in a show of appreciation to the fans that never stopped supporting him, reports Granma newspaper.

"It was beautiful of them; they motivated me to fight on. I really appreciated the support, not just in the name of Cuba, but of all nations, because I have seen how they have cheered athletes of other countries with the same enthusiasm," he added.

Ortiz also had kind words for his rival for the gold medal. "The US athlete is very good, experienced and never stops battling. He beat me in Cali in the Pre-Pan American Games and now it was my turn.

Source: ACN