SOLEDAD — Former Soledad resident and Olympic weightlifter Mario Martinez was recently honored by the Soledad City Council with a city proclamation designating July 6 as Mario Martinez Day.
Martinez, a 1975 Gonzales High School graduate, was born on July 6, 1957. He made national and local history by winning the super-heavyweight silver medal in the 1984 Olympics that were held that year in Los Angeles.
During his 20-year career representing the United States as a weightlifter, Martinez won numerous gold medals in the Pan American Games competitions and was an Olympic Games team member in 1984, 1988 and 1992.
Martinez died in 2018 due to complications with diabetes.
In February, John Ordunez, a school classmate in Soledad and Gonzales High with Martinez, suggested to the City Council to consider a proclamation for Martinez for his Olympic achievements.
“When we were growing up, I gave Mario a muscle building magazine and he was so excited that he put in for a subscription as he wanted to improve in weight lifting,” Ordunez said. “Mario was able to lift 135 pounds over his head when he weighed just 135 pounds. By the time he was a senior, he was able to lift 220 over his head. When he began to compete in weight lifting, I would go with his family to watch him compete at the Sports Palace in San Francisco. He really deserved to be recognized by the City of Soledad.”
Attending the July 2 presentation of the proclamation were members of the Martinez family: his mother Abby, wife Katy, daughter Annette and her son Westin, and niece Bella Martinez.
Locally, Martinez is a member of the Salinas Valley Sports Hall of Fame and the Gonzales High School Hall of Fame.
