There was a CBA Colt competing on the world’s biggest stage over the past few weeks.

Sebastian Rivera ’16 competed for Team Puerto Rico in freestyle wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, earning a spot on the podium with a bronze medal in the 65kg class. His bronze medal match victory on August 11 was essentially won as time expired, earning the winning point over Tulga Tumur-Ochir from Mongolia.

Rivera earned his berth to the Olympics via the 2023 World Championships in Serbia, where he secured the silver medal in the 65kg class. Once his spot in the Olympics was set in stone, he was fortunate to be chosen as the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony for Puerto Rico. His grandparents are Puerto Rico natives and he has spent plenty of time visiting the country throughout his life. During his time at Northwestern University, he was approached by Team Puerto Rico to wrestle for the country.

Before his collegiate success at Northwestern and then Rutgers, Rivera was CBA’s first individual state champion in nearly 40 years when he won the title in the 113-pound class at the 2016 championships in Atlantic City. His standing as one of the most decorated wrestlers in CBA history is now only amplified with the addition of an Olympic medal.

Read the Q&A with Rivera below.

CBA: Tell us about the Olympic experience overall. How exhilarating was it to be there from the Opening Ceremony right through the end? How honored were you to be the flag bearer for Puerto Rico?

Rivera: It was great being in Paris for that long. It allowed for me to get acclimated and adjusted. The Opening Ceremony was a once in a lifetime thing, and I was really humbled to be able to represent Puerto Rico the biggest stage in the world.

Q: You had some time in between the Opening Ceremony and your matches. How did you prepare in the interim?

Rivera: We actually left Paris and went to Dijon, France for a training camp. It was great to get away and be able to train without so many distractions. It allow for dialed-in training and diet before competition.

Q: Tell us about your matches leading up to the medal match. You had a dramatic challenge in your match before the medal round. Did you have any doubt you would win?

Rivera: There’s never doubt while you’re out there competing, you have to believe you can win the whole time. If you allow that doubt to win you’ll lose. I’m always thinking I can win and comeback from any challenge in front of me.

Q: Once you clinched the bronze medal, what was running through your head? Did you ever imagine that dream would come true?

Rivera: All I can think was all the suffering and sacrifice was worth it. I did something great for my family and my village. Shows that we get things done and you can chase your dreams if you put the time in. I thought for the last year about that moment and I was able to live it and it be better than I dreamed.

Q: You had a great CBA career that sort of set the stage for your future collegiate and competitive careers. How did CBA lay the framework for this success and what did you learn from your time at CBA?

Rivera: CBA is a place you go to challenge yourself and find a better version of yourself. I’m happy I made the decision to go to CBA back in 2012. Challenges in life are necessary and having them at a young age helped me for the future. When you can challenge yourself academically and athletically you know you are at the right spot to make your dreams of the future come true.