Figueroa Mosquera, Oscar Albeiro

NOC Colombia   
GenderMen
Born27 Apr 1983 in Zaragoza, COL
Height1.65 m
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Higher education Administration Studies - University Santiago de Cali: Colombia
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? A coach at his school encouraged him to try weightlifting.
When and where did you begin this sport? He took up the sport at age 11 in Cartago, Colombia.
General Interest
Injuries An injury to his right leg meant he had to withdraw from the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (colombia.as.com, 28 Jul 2019)

A muscle injury prevented him from competing at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. (caracol.com.co, 22 Jul 2018; co.marca.com, 24 Jul 2018)

In January 2016 he underwent back surgery to treat a chronic lumbar hernia, which he had sustained five years earlier. He recovered three months later to compete at the 2016 Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Olympic YouTube channel, 30 Mar 2017; rio2016.com, 10 Apr 2016; noticias.caracoltv.com, 25 Jan 2016)
Further Personal Information
Languages Spanish
General Interest
Most influential person in career His family. (espndeportes.espn.go.com, 12 Jul 2015)
Further Personal Information
Family Two daughters
Residence Cali, COL
General Interest
Hobbies Spending time in nature, meditation. (rio2016.com, 07 Apr 2016)
Sporting philosophy / motto "You need to have guts when you are up against it. You need a dream, a goal and above all your family." (bienestarcolsanitas.com, 01 Mar 2017; rio2016.com, 07 Apr 2016)
Other information RETIREMENT AND RETURN
After winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, he returned to training in 2018 with the aim of competing at the 2018 World Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. "I'm feeling stronger now [at 33 years old] than when I was 20, why should I retire?" (noticias.caracoltv.com, 05 Oct 2018; iwf.net, 12 May 2018; zonacero.com, 22 Jul 2017)

EARLY DAYS
At age nine he and his family were forced to leave their home in Zaragoza, Colombia, due to conflicts between military forces and guerrilla fighters. The family moved to the city of Cartago. "That marked us at the time, but it's part of our past now." (elpais.com.co, 26 Apr 2016; rio2016.com, 07 Apr 2016)
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Valle del Cauca: Colombia
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement Winning gold in the 62kg category at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (noticias.canalrcn.com, 08 Aug 2016)
Ambitions To win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (zonacero.com, 22 Jul 2017)
Awards and honours In 2017 he received the Farallon Award as the Best Male High Performance Athlete of the municipality of Cali in Colombia. (eltiempo.com, 16 Dec 2017)

He was presented with the Altius Award by the Colombian Olympic Committee after winning gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (elpais.com.co, 12 Dec 2016)

He received the Golden Terraco Award as the Best Athlete of 2016 of the Valle del Cauca Department in Colombia. (coldeportes.gov.co, 28 Jun 2018)

In 2016 he was named Sportsman of the Year by the Colombian Association of Sports Journalists [ACORD]. (laopinion.com.co, 17 Mar 2017)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Jaiber Manjarres [club]; Oswaldo Pinilla [national], COL
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete
General Interest
Milestones He became the first male Colombian athlete from any sport to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games when he claimed victory in the 62kg category at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 08 Aug 2016)

Major Results
Year Rank Event Venue
Olympic Games
2016 1 62kg   Rio de Janeiro
2012 2 62kg   London
2008   62kg   Beijing
2004 5 56kg   Athens
World Championships
2019 10 67kg   Pattaya
2019 17 67kg - Snatch   Pattaya
2019 5 67kg - Clean & Jerk   Pattaya
2018 5 67kg   Ashgabat
2018 8 67kg - Snatch   Ashgabat
2018 3 67kg - Clean & Jerk   Ashgabat
2015 3 62kg   Houston, TX
2015 3 62kg - Snatch   Houston, TX
2015 3 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Houston, TX
2014   62kg   Almaty
2014   62kg - Snatch   Almaty
2014   62kg - Clean & Jerk   Almaty
2013 3 62kg   Wroclaw
2013 3 62kg - Snatch   Wroclaw
2013 1 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Wroclaw
2011 4 62kg   Paris
2011 6 62kg - Snatch   Paris
2011 4 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Paris
2009 4 62kg   Goyang
2009 4 62kg - Snatch   Goyang
2009 5 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Goyang
2007 4 62kg   Chiang Mai
2007 6 62kg - Snatch   Chiang Mai
2007 8 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Chiang Mai
2006 2 62kg   Santo Domingo
2006 2 62kg - Snatch   Santo Domingo
2006 5 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Santo Domingo
South American Championships
2016 3 69kg   Rio de Janeiro
2016 3 69kg - Snatch   Rio de Janeiro
2016 5 69kg - Clean & Jerk   Rio de Janeiro
Pan American Games
2019   67kg   Lima
2015 1 62kg   Toronto, ON
2011 1 62kg   Guadalajara
Pan American Championships
2014 1 69kg   Santo Domingo
2014 1 69kg - Snatch   Santo Domingo
2014 1 69kg - Clean & Jerk   Santo Domingo
2012 1 69kg   Antigua Guatemala
2012 2 69kg - Snatch   Antigua Guatemala
2012 1 69kg - Clean & Jerk   Antigua Guatemala
2008 1 62kg   Callao
2008 2 62kg - Snatch   Callao
2008 1 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Callao
2005 1 62kg   Shreveport, LA
2005 1 62kg - Snatch   Shreveport, LA
2005 1 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Shreveport, LA