There is a saying, “Never give up on something that you believe in.” Indeed Oscar Figueroa never gave up on his dream. And that led him to be the ultimate goal achiever he is today.
So, who is Oscar Figueroa? Oscar is a former Colombian weightlifter who won the Olympic gold medal back in 2016. He succeeded in winning gold on his fourth time of participation, whereas he won silver on the third time.
After winning the Olympic gold medal, he decided to retire from weightlifting. Then, however, he participated again in the world championship. Now, once again, he has decided to retire from weightlifting officially.
Overall, his journey as a weightlifter from starting to retirement was impressive and more inspiring.
Here, we will know about his inspiring journey of weightlifting along with his early life, education, height, weight, achievements, wife, net worth, and media presence.
But before, let’s look at some quick facts about him.
Oscar Figueroa | Quick Facts
Full Name | Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera |
Known as | Oscar Figueroa |
Birth Date | April 27, 1983 |
Birth Place | Zaragoza, Colombia |
Nick Name | N/A |
Religion | N/A |
Nationality | Colombian |
Ethnicity | African-American |
University | Santiago de Cali University |
Horoscope | Taurus |
Father’s Name | Jorge Isaac Figueroa |
Mother’s Name | Ermelinda Mosquera |
Age | 41 years old |
Height | 5 ft 3 in (161 cm ) |
Weight | 146 lb (66 kg) |
Reach | 74 inches (188 cm) |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Brown |
Net Worth | N/A |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Girlfriend | No |
Children | No |
Profession | Weightlifting |
Division | 62 kg & 67 kg |
Build | Athlete |
Coached by | Jaiber Manjarres, Oswaldo Pinilla |
Years Active | 2008-2019 |
Sport | Olympic Weightlifting |
Events | -67kg |
Coached by | Jaiber Manjarres, Oswaldo Pinilla |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Documentary | Oscar Figueroa: Against all odds |
Weightlifting Merch | Shoes, Gloves |
Last Update | November, 2024 |
Oscar Figueroa | Early life and Education
The Olympic gold medalist was born in Colombia’s small municipality named Zaragoza, Cartago Valle del Cauca, on April 27, 1983. He was born to his father, Jorge Isaac Figueroa, and his mother, Ermelinda Mosquera.
Additionally, his full name is Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera. He is Colombian with African-American ethnicity. Talking about his education, he attended Santiago de Cali University.
Likewise, Figueroa started training as a weightlifter at an early age. Apart from this, he came out from a small-town and succeeded in becoming a gold medalist in the Olympics.
Furthermore, no detailed information is found about his early life and education. However, we find that he was interested in weightlifting from childhood.
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Oscar Figueroa | Age, Height, and Weight
As of now, the Olympic winner is currently 1826 years old. Besides, he celebrates his birthday on April 27.
Additionally, his horoscope is Taurus, according to his date of birth. Interestingly, Taurus is an earth sign and known to be intelligent, hardworking, and dedicated.
Additionally, he weighs around 145 lb (67 kg) while standing at 5 ft 3 in (161 cm ) tall. Also, he has black hair along with brown-colored eyes.
Furthermore, he has an athletic and well-maintained body.
Oscar Figueroa | Career
As we know, Oscar Figueroa has been weightlifting since childhood. Accordingly, he succeeded in participating in the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Pan American Games.
However, his journey in those games was not comfortable, and he had to face many failures. But there is a saying, failure is the key to success. Therefore, he learned from failure and was able to grab success.
Olympic Games and Injury
Firstly, Figueroa started his journey at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 56 kg category, lifting 280 kg.
However, it wasn’t turned out as expected and placed in rank 5th in snatch and the clean & jerk category. Consequently, he was positioned in 5th.
Afterward, Oscar participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. But unfortunately, he was unable to make a lift in the snatch category.
Due to his injury, he couldn’t lift the bar from the floor in all three attempts. Figueroa had a cervical hernia, which made his right hand weak. Then, he left the Olympics without posting a result and had surgery for a cervical hernia.
After his recovery from a hernia injury, he came back at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in the 62kg category and set an Olympic record of 317kg.
In an interview, he stated,
“It is a new division; I have prepared very well, I have high expectations. I feel good to
return.”
Likewise, Oscar ranked in 3rd position in the snatch category while 1st in clean & jerk. Consequently, He made his comeback worth and won the silver medal.
Nonetheless, his ultimate goal was to win the gold medal, which was fulfilled on August 8, 2016. He won the gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with 318 kg lifting in the 62 kg division.
Nevertheless, Figueroa took off his shoes and placed them on the platform, and announced his immediate retirement from the sport.
“I can’t describe how it feels right now. I’ve been lifting weights for 22 years, and now it’s time to retire. That’s why I took my shoes off.”
World Championships
Figueroa had participated in a total of 9 World Weightlifting Championships in his Weightlifting career.
Likewise, he had participated in the men’s 62 kg category at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships and won the silver medal. He ranked in 2nd position in both snatch and clean & jerk category.
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Besides, Oscar ranked 4th in three World Weightlifting Championships of 2007, 2009, and 2011 in the 62 kg category. Additionally, he won the bronze medal in the World Weightlifting Championships of 2013 and 2015 in the 62 kg division.
Furthermore, Oscar returned to the World Weightlifting Championships of 2018 and 2019 in the 67 kg after retirement. Besides, he was positioned in 5th and 10th rank.
Pan American Games
Nonetheless, Oscar won the gold medal in the 62 kg division of the Pan American Games of 2011 and 2015. Likewise, he made 1st position in the snatch while 1st position in clean & jerk category in 2011 Pan American Games.
Additionally, he made 2nd position in the snatch while 1st in the clean & jerk category in the 2015 Pan American Games.
Oscar Figueroa | Retirement
In 2019, Figueroa had taken official retirement from his weightlifting career. However, after a year of retirement, he has decided to share his technical, physical sports, and mental experience with the upcoming generation to achieve their goal.
According to his Instagram post, now he is working as a snatch-clean and jerk trainer. He and his team provide free training through their online website Olympic Master Mind for weightlifting athletes.
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Prior to his retirement, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) reported that Figueroa was disqualified from participating in multiple weightlifting events. This was the result of failing to report his whereabouts as per requirement.
The IWF had to perform surprise doping tests scheduled by International anti-doping regulations.
Oscar Figueroa | Achievements
- Champion of 2016 Summer Olympic
- Champion of 2011 World Championships (2011, 2015)
- Silver Medal in 2006 World Championships
- Silver Medal in 2012 Summer Olympic
- Bronze Medal in World Championships ( 2013, 2015)
Oscar Figueroa | Never Give Up YouTube VideoFigueroa’ss Olympic journey became famous on youtube. This video shows his Olympic journey in short, which is emotional as well as much inspiring.
It starts right from his home, the place where he was born, and takes you through all the impeccable hurdles that the Olympian has gone through. Figueroa’s childhood coach, Delmaris Delgado, is also present in the video. She used to run a gym that he attended, and she claimed, “At the time, I had no idea he was a prodigy.”
Delmaris also mentioned that Oscar learned the form in a single day which was quite surprising.
This video motivates people to believe in their goals before giving up. Oscar became the perfect example of never giving up on your dreams.
Oscar Figueroa | Personal Life and Wife
Moving towards the Olympic medalist’s personal life, he keeps his personal life private. There is no information regarding his relationship or affair.
He seems a more focused person in his professional life. Therefore, he has no involvement in any controversies to date.
Furthermore, his marital status is single according to different resources. However, he will find his soulmate and will be mingled in the future definitely.
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Oscar Figueroa | Net Worth and Salary
Figueroa’s Net worth has not unfolded yet. However, he may have earned a fair amount of money from weightlifting because his primary income source was weightlifting.
Moreover, according to his Instagram post, he is working as a physical trainer. Though his exact earning amount is not published, he enjoys and spends his life on his choice.
Additionally, Oscar has become the face of the Columbian sport since he has grabbed a gold medal as per the statement made by the Colombian Weightlifting Federation President, William Pena.
Social media is a convenient medium for celebrities to connect with fans and followers. Similarly, the gold medalist Oscar is available on Instagram as well as on Twitter too.
However, his presence is more on Instagram than on Twitter.
Instagram– 97.1k Followers
Twitter– 5.5k Followers
Oscar Figueroa | FAQs
Is Olympic gold medalist Oscar married?
The gold medalist Oscar wants to keep his personal life private. However, he is currently unmarried, according to different resources.
What is Oscar Figueroa’s net worth?
Oscar Figueroa’s exact net worth is not revealed yet. However, he may have earned a satisfying amount of money from weightlifting.
What is Oscar Figueroa’s Ethnicity?
Figueroa is a resident of Zaragoza, Colombia. So, his ethnicity is African-American.
Can we expect Oscar Figueroa to make a fifth appearance in Tokyo Olympics 2020?
After clinching gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Oscar says, “I just like being number one.” But unfortunately, signaling that we cannot see him coming for Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Although, Oscar posted a photo on his social media for his 80,000 followers with a four-word caption stating, “Tokyo 2020, I hope.”
Was Oscar Figueroa’s ban from Pan America related to drugs?
No, Oscar was banned from Pan American Championships in 2019 for not being able to submit his whereabouts.