Stunning winner’s medal awarded Cuban heavyweight boxer Odlanier Solís at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 61 mm, 147 gm, by Elena Votsi and Kostas Kazakos. The front depicts the winged goddess of Victory soaring into the Panathinaikos Stadium, with Greek characters and Olympic rings above; the reverse features the Eternal Flame of Olympia, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the 2004 Summer Games logo, with the sport engraved in Greek lettering along the bottom, “Πυγμαχία - Κατηγορία 91 κιλών Ανδρων [Boxing, Men's 91 kg Category].” Completed by the original multicolored ribbon and wooden presentation box with metal slipcase. The 2004 Athens winner’s medals replaced the long-held ‘seated Victory’ design by Giuseppe Cassioli, rectifying the mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.
Limited to boxers weighing between 81 and 91 kilograms, the heavyweight boxing competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was held from August 18th to the 28th at Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. Cuban boxer Odlanier Solis, one of the most celebrated and decorated amateur stars of the 2000s, earned his first and only Olympic medal with an impressive, at times dominating, showcase against his four opponents. Furthermore, Solis, whose nickname was 'La Sombra,' or 'The Shadow,' did so with the pressure of living up to the magnificence of his predecessor and fellow countryman, the great Felix Savon, who had attained heavyweight gold in the previous three Olympic Games.
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