CAPE CORAL, Fla. — As the countdown to Paris continues, we are sharing the stories of athletes eager to show the world their talents. More than 36 athletes qualified to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris. These athletes come from 11 different countries.
WPTV anchor Janny Rodriguez spoke with a refugee Olympic athlete from Cuba who lives and trains in Southwest Florida.
Fernando Dayan Jorge Enriquez, 25, hopes the summer games in Paris will be another opportunity to add to his medal count.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: 2024 Paris Olympics
Every breath, every paddle and every second matters for the two-time Olympian is about getting ready to compete for the third time on the refugee Olympic team in Paris.
Enriquez is a native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, who defected in 2022.
We got to tag along with the canoeist and his coach, Alain Nogueras, during one of his daily training sessions in a canal near his house.
He speaks very little English so our conversation continued in Spanish. Rodriquez asked him how an Olympian prepares
"Like my religion, I train, I rest, I train, I rest," Enriquez replied through a translator.
It's a sport he learned to love from his dad when he was just 10 years old.
"It was very beautiful to be able to learn from my dad. My dad is my biggest hero, always," Enriquez said through a translator.
He finished sixth at the 2016 Olympics. Then competed in Tokyo in the 2020 Olympic Games and won a gold medal, a first for Cuba in Olympic canoeing.
Enriquez realized every athlete's dream by winning gold, but he was still chasing something far more elusive in Cuba — his freedom.
"I rethought it many times in my head. I knew I had to make that change in my life," Enriquez said through a translator.
In March 2022, the Olympic champion flew to Mexico with the Cuban team for an Olympic preparation camp. He broke away from them at the airport. He saw it as an opportunity to cross the border.
"As soon as I got to the airport, I managed to escape the Cuban delegation and then I was in Mexico for a few days," Enriquez said through a translator. "I started heading toward the border and crossed into the United States."
The U.S. granted him political asylum.
"It was a very difficult decision," Enriquez said through a translator. "After winning an Olympic medal to leave your country, a lot of people ask me how after having done that I was able to leave. ... I didn't want to belong to the deceit of Cuba."
His quest for freedom was now a reality, but his Olympic dreams for 2024 were in doubt.
"Having the opportunity to compete in the Olympic games is something I even didn't think could happen," Enriquez said through a translator.
However, in April, he was awarded an International Olympic Committee Refugee Athlete scholarship.
"I've always been a person very focused on what I want, and I work hard for what I want," Enriquez said through a translator.
It's a golden opportunity on the Olympic stage in Paris.
"I am very excited," Enriquez said.