David de Pina’s hairstyle may have caught the eye at Paris 2024, but his quick hands and footwork have also been sharp enough to provide Cape Verde with its first ever Olympic medal.
The 28-year-old boxer from Santiago, the largest of 10 islands which make up the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, made history by winning bronze in the men’s flyweight category in the French capital.
He stands just five foot four inches tall, but is now getting used to his new, elevated status in his homeland.
“They say I’m the hero because I give them one thing they never had before,” De Pina told BBC Sport Africa.
“I put the name of the country around the world. They might think we don’t have the strength to win a medal, but we showed them that [anything] is possible.
“I’m so happy to achieve this first medal and to give it to my country. We deserve some happiness.”
De Pina fielded a congratulatory call from the country’s prime minister following his quarter-final win last Friday, and has received “thousands” of messages on social media which he has been unable to answer.
“I’m feeling guilty about that, because they show me love and respect,” he added.
“I’m like a celebrity. People are going crazy, there’s a lot of emotion.
“I will go to Cape Verde to give them the medal, to celebrate with them.”
Mickey Mouse comparisons
A nation of just over 560,000 inhabitants, Cape Verde has made little impact on the sporting scene since declaring independence from Portugal in 1975.
The country’s footballers have manged to punch above their weight at the Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the quarter-finals on their debut in 2013 and then again at the 2023 edition.
Yet success at the Olympics has proved much harder since Cape Verde first sent a team to the Games in 1996.
De Pina feels privileged to be taking home a medal from Paris after upsetting the odds.
“We are 10,500 athletes here – few can get a medal,”
De Pina was the flagbearer for the seven-strong Cape Verdean contingent in Paris and stood out both in the opening ceremony’s boat trip along the Seine and during his bouts in the ring with his unique hairstyle, which features two large black buns on either side of his head.
It has drawn comparisons with one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world – and led to some fans wearing hairbands to imitate his look.
“Sometimes people look at me and laugh, saying, ‘Ah, the guy with the two ears like Mickey Mouse’,” De Pina said.
“My coach told me to do this, as Africans sometimes use braids. He said ‘You have to look different to all the African guys’.
“My coach had a vision nobody had. Now all the people are imitating me.”
Taking strength from ‘rough moments’
De Pina took up boxing aged 15 after being bullied by older children in his neighbourhood in Santa Cruz.
He made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where he lost his opening bout to defending champion Shakhob Zoirov, and after his return from Japan de Pina was offered an Olympic solidarity scholarship.
In a bid to improve in the ring, De Pina took up the scholarship at the cost of a personal sacrifice.
He moved to Lisbon, Portugal, to train at the Privilegio Boxing Club in the suburb of Odivelas, but had to leave his daughter Hellen, then aged four, back in Cape Verde.
“In Portugal, life was not easy,” he explained.
“Those rough moments that I’ve been through make me stronger. This new status won’t scare me, because I know where I came from.”
The money he received from the scholarship was not enough to support his family, and De Pina had to balance his training regime with working as a carpenter on building sites in order to make ends meet.
“The sad part is that if I went to work in buildings, I wouldn’t have time to train,” he said.
“I have to stop training to have money for living or paying my rent.
“If I work in the buildings I couldn’t have energy to train because boxing requires a lot of sacrifice.”
His decision was ultimately worth it as De Pina secured bronze at the 2022 African Championships in Mozambique and then qualified for Paris 2024 at the second time of asking via a tournament in Thailand.
Fulfilling his Olympic dream
De Pina returned to the Olympics with determination to prove himself despite the Mickey Mouse comparisons.
He defeated Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba, the African Games champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, in the last eight in Paris to secure bronze in the 51kg category.
“I dedicate my whole life for this moment,” De Pina said.
“I know I could (win a medal), but I just needed a chance. I had it, I took it in my two hands, and I gave it to my country.
“I will keep training to see if I can give them a gold medal.”
De Pina may have been beaten in his semi-final bout but hopes the next generation of athletes across the continent will take notice of him securing a place on the podium.
“I hope my results inspire them to say everything’s possible,” he said.
“If you are a poor kid or an African kid, you just have to fight for your dreams.
“Dedicate [yourself], believe, be a good guy and results will come for you.”
