Franklin Gómez
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| Nationality | Puerto Rican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
August 5, 1986 Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic |
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| Sport | Freestyle wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Franklin Gómez Matos (born August 5, 1986) is a Dominican born freestyle wrestler who represents Puerto Rico.
Gómez was born in Puerto Plata Province in the Dominican Republic. His father, Eugenio Gómez, was a fisherman and his mother, Margarita Matos, was a housewife. In 1991, Franklin's father died as a consequence of medical malpractice. As a result, his mother decided to move to Puerto Rico, along with Franklin and her other two sons: Emanuel and Abel.
During childhood, Gómez played basketball and baseball. He began wrestling when he was 12 years old, training at Club Sparta in San Juan. He came to New Jersey his freshman year of high school where he stayed with a host family, Bill and Diane McGrath, in Hammonton, New Jersey. He attended St. Augustine Prep in Richland, New Jersey. Aside of wrestling, Gómez completed a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, with a major in Psychology from Michigan State, as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration from Penn State University.
While studying at St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey, Gómez won district and regional titles at 103 and 112 lbs. He wrestled at Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida and won a state title at 119 lb his senior year. Gómez also wrestled for Michigan State and won an NCAA Division I title at 133 pounds in 2009. After graduation, he was recruited to Penn State University and trains freestyle wrestling at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
During the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gómez won the first gold medal in the sport of wrestling for Puerto Rico. He has won his last three races in Romania, Italy and Germany. In his last performance, he defeated the current world champion in the 60 kg, the Russian wrestler Besik Kudukhov, claiming the gold medal in the Grand Prix of Germany. After becoming the sub-champion and winning a Silver medal in the 2011 World Championships, Gomez also won his country a spot at the 2012 London Olympics.
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