Gabriel Mercedes

Yulis Gabriel Mercedes Reyes ( born November 12, 1979 in Monte Plata) is a Dominican Taekwondoin. It starts in the weight class up to 58 kg.

His first international title fights denied Mercedes at the 1999 World Cup in Edmonton. He reached in the class up to 54 kg semi-final and won a surprising bronze medal. Also, the 2001 World Championships in Jeju -si was successful, Mercedes narrowly failed in the quarterfinals. A bronze medal he won at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo in 2003. Mercedes qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. After an opening loss to Oscar Salazar and a win and a loss in the hope round, he finished second in the class up to 58 kg at the end of fifth place. In the following years, Mercedes celebrated only at the Pan Championships success. It was only in 2007, he drew attention to himself again with gold at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. In Beijing, he participated in his second Olympics. He moved to the final one, it lost to Guillermo Pérez and thus won the first silver medal of a Dominican athletes at the Olympic Games. Successfully ran for Mercedes also the year 2011. At the World Championships in Gyeongju he only lost in the semifinals Rui Braganca and won his second World Championship bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, he defended his title successfully and the International Olympic qualification tournament in Baku, he reached the final against Pen -Ek Karaket and finally qualified for his third Olympic Games 2012 in London.