Claudio Zupo Gutiérrez (22 September 1984 – 24 July 2020) was a Mexican judoka. He was known as El gigante de Sonora ("the giant from Sonora").

Claudio Zupo
Personal information
Birth nameClaudio Zupo Gutiérrez
Born(1984-09-22)September 22, 1984
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico[1]
Died24 July 2020(2020-07-24) (aged 35)
Sonora, Mexico
Sport
SportJudo
EventOpenweight
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  Mexico
Pan American Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Buenos Aires Openweight
Representing  Mexico
Central American and Caribbean Games
Silver medal – second place 2006 Cartagena de Indias Teams

Career

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Zupo participated in the 2005 and 2006 Pan American Championships; he won a bronze medal at the 2006 Pan American Judo Championships in the openweight category, and a silver medal at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in the team category.[2][3] He also won a Golden Medal at the 2006 Mexico City International Tournament, two silver medals at the 2008 and 2010 Mexican Championships, and one Golden Medal in the junior category at the 2002 National Olimpiade in San Luis Potosí.[4]

After his withdrawal from the tatami, he served as trainer in the Sonora State Sports Commission (Codeson), and later as coordinator of the high-performance gym in Hermosillo, Sonora.[2]

Death

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Zupo died in his native Sonora on 24 July 2020, aged 35, from COVID-19, during the pandemic in Mexico. On the previous day, his mother had also died from the same illness. His family claimed that he had been fired from the Codeson when he tested positive for COVID-19.[1][2][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Claudio Zupo, medallista panamericano, perdió la batalla contra el COVID-19; denuncian que pidió ayuda y no lo escucharon". Infobae (in Spanish). 26 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Muere Claudio Zupo, Campeón Panamericano de México en Judo, víctima de COVID-19". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). 25 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  3. ^ «Claudio Zupo»
  4. ^ Claudio Zupo judo career
  5. ^ "Claudio Zupo, la muerte del 'Gigante de Sonora' antecedida de versiones dispares". Archived from the original on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  6. ^ Getty Images