Hawthorne native set to wrestle in Summer Olympics, fulfilling a childhood dream
HAWTHORNE — It is the place to be for fashionmongers and starry-eyed poets.
And for one Ethan Ramos, this summer in Paris is the perfect setting to win a gold medal.
Ramos will travel to the French capital in July to represent Puerto Rico in freestyle wrestling in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
The opportunity is a dream come true for the 29-year-old borough native, a high school state champion and a collegiate All-American, who has been wrestling since about the time that he entered kindergarten.
“To get to the goal that I want,” Ramos said, “I had to get to this first step, and the first step is really hard to get to.”
Ramos qualified for the Summer Games after defeating an athlete from Colombia at the Pan-American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, on March 1.
It was redemption for Ramos, who finished seventh when the same competition was held in Ottawa, Canada, four years ago.
Ramos, who now lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Katie Ramos, and their two children, is a part-time assistant wrestling coach for Duke University.
Local sports enthusiasts may remember his name because, a little more than a decade ago, he and his twin brother, Evan Ramos, chased records and tore up the mats all over the state.
Robert Pasquale, who coached Ramos at Hawthorne High School, said the budding wrestler was among the most determined teenagers he ever knew.
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“When you put together such an amazing athlete, with such tremendous drive, you’re going to succeed,” said Pasquale, 60, who retired from coaching after Ramos’ senior season in 2013. “That’s really the key to his success.”
In his senior year, Ramos did something that no other Hawthorne wrestler had accomplished: He won every match, sealing up the first unblemished season in program history. He also played linebacker for the Bears football team and competed in high jump for the track and field team in the spring.
He went on to wrestle for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he met his future wife, who was a swimmer for the Tar Heels.
Ramos said it was there that a coach encouraged him to pursue his Olympic dream.
He decided to try to join the national team of Puerto Rico because he felt more connected to its culture than to American culture, he said. His grandparents on both sides of his family were born on the Caribbean island, and he and his brother spent their summers there as children.
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Puerto Rico, whose population is less than that of Los Angeles, has produced one Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling since it first participated in the Summer Games in 1948.
It has taken home just 10 medals overall — most of them in boxing.
But Ramos, who has grappled with many of the best wrestlers in the world, remains undaunted.
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“I expect it to be a hard battle, every match,” Ramos said. “But I plan to be the winner, for sure. I’m as prepared as I can be.”
Ramos will wrestle in the 86-kilogram (189.5 pounds) weight class — the third-highest of six classes. He said he will have to lose 11 pounds.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ethan Ramos, former NJ state champ, to wrestle in 2024 Olympics
