Damian Deleon: “I Knew I Was Made to Win”

At the 2026 Pan American SAMBO Championships, held in Alajuela, Costa Rica, USA's Damian Deleon claimed gold in the men's -64kg Combat SAMBO category. For the athlete, this victory was the culmination of a SAMBO journey that began back in 2022.

“Honestly, I can't even put it into words. All I can say is I worked so hard for this. I've been competing in SAMBO since 2022, I competed at the national trials, but I could never make the team. And when I finally made it to a continental championship, I finally reached my goal. I knew I was made to win. I knew my hard work was going to get me to this spot – and it did,” the athlete shared.

The final match proved to be a tough one – his Ecuadorian opponent gave him a serious test.

“In the final, I came up against a tough opponent. I was hitting him with a lot of good shots, landing my takedowns, but he kept coming forward. My respect to him – Lenin Guerra from Ecuador earned my respect out there. And I want to say the same about all my other opponents – I went up against athletes from Honduras, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago, respect to all those guys. I've been following the Pan American Championships for pretty much my whole SAMBO career, and today I finally got to show my own level,” Deleon said.

The American dedicated his victory to his family, his school, and his faith.

“I'm so grateful to my family, my Familia Garcia de Leon. Shout out to the SAMBO Nation team from Texas – we're the best SAMBO school in the country, and a lot of us proved that at this championship, so let everyone else remember us for it. And I want to thank God, because I wouldn't be here without him,” said Damian Deleon.