Rene Capo
Encyclopedia
Rene Capo (May 9, 1961 – July 6, 2009) was a judoka from the United States who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
. Capo immigrated to the United States from Cuba
as a young boy. Though he won several judo championships in high school, Capo took a four year break from the sport to attend the University of Minnesota
. After college, Capo went on to qualify for two United States Olympics teams, could not compete as an alternate in another due to a back injury, and narrowly missed making the 2008 team. In 2008, Capo was diagnosed with lung cancer, which caused his death the following year.
, Cuba in 1962, when he was still an infant, and grew up in Hialeah, Florida
. After graduating from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School
He attended the University of Minnesota
, where he played defensive tackle for the Golden Gophers
from 1979 to 1982, sharing a team record with four sacks.
competition, and had won his first tournament by nine. By sixteen, he had become a Grandmaster
, and won the Judo high school national championship. By the time of his graduation, Capo had earned a national high school gold medal, and won the United States Senior National title. A classmate recalls how, as a 190-pound junior, Capo pinned Lester Williams, then regarded as possibly the top high school athlete in the nation.
and college, Capo won a gold medal at the 1987 Pacific Rim Championships. A year later, he upset a number highly-ranked heavyweights at the US Judo Olympic Trials. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul
, Capo finished 19th. Capo qualified as the alternate for the 1992 Summer Olympics
, but was unable to compete due to severe neck injury. After having surgery on two vertebrae, he made it to the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated the first day. From 2005 to 2007, Capo taught judo
at the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville
. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics
, losing to his own student, Kyle Vashkulat
. At the 2008 USA Judo Senior National Championships one month later, Capo placed fifth.
, from which he died on July 6, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. At the time, he lived in Naperville, Illinois
, where he had moved to earn money selling magazine subscriptions to schools.
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. Capo immigrated to the United States from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
as a young boy. Though he won several judo championships in high school, Capo took a four year break from the sport to attend the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. After college, Capo went on to qualify for two United States Olympics teams, could not compete as an alternate in another due to a back injury, and narrowly missed making the 2008 team. In 2008, Capo was diagnosed with lung cancer, which caused his death the following year.
Early life
Capo immigrated to the United States from Pinar del RíoPinar del Río
Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province.Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños.Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas.-History:...
, Cuba in 1962, when he was still an infant, and grew up in Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
. After graduating from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School
Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School is a secondary school operated by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, located at 7977 W 12th Avenue in Hialeah, Florida, USA, on the boundary with the city of Miami Lakes.-Construction:...
He attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he played defensive tackle for the Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
from 1979 to 1982, sharing a team record with four sacks.
Amateur competition
At the age of six, Capo competed in his first judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
competition, and had won his first tournament by nine. By sixteen, he had become a Grandmaster
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
, and won the Judo high school national championship. By the time of his graduation, Capo had earned a national high school gold medal, and won the United States Senior National title. A classmate recalls how, as a 190-pound junior, Capo pinned Lester Williams, then regarded as possibly the top high school athlete in the nation.
Professional career
After a four year break from Judo in which he focused on footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and college, Capo won a gold medal at the 1987 Pacific Rim Championships. A year later, he upset a number highly-ranked heavyweights at the US Judo Olympic Trials. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Capo finished 19th. Capo qualified as the alternate for the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, but was unable to compete due to severe neck injury. After having surgery on two vertebrae, he made it to the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated the first day. From 2005 to 2007, Capo taught judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
at the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville
Glenville, Schenectady County, New York
Glenville is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. It was incorporated in 1821. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,183....
. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, losing to his own student, Kyle Vashkulat
Kyle Vashkulat
Kirill "Kyle" Vashkulat is a judoka from United States.-Biography:Kyle was born in capital city of Ukraine, Kiev. When he was 9 years old his he moved to USA.-Judo:...
. At the 2008 USA Judo Senior National Championships one month later, Capo placed fifth.
Cancer
In 2008, Capo, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, from which he died on July 6, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. At the time, he lived in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, where he had moved to earn money selling magazine subscriptions to schools.