PIE Bernardo

General
BROTHERS' TRUCE
He reached the final of his first competition in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in 2012, and was due to compete against his brother Luisito. Rather than facing each other, the brothers opted to toss a coin to determine the winner. "We did not want to fight, which our coach agreed with, so we decided that the competition would be decided by flipping a coin, which went in Luisito's favour. It was a wonderful experience." At the 2020 Mexico Open in Puerto Vallarta, the brothers both reached the final in the -68kg category. Luisito withdrew before the bout, giving Bernardo the victory. "I don't fight with my brother, that's why I decided not to show up to compete. I believe that brotherhood and friendship will always prevail over sports. That is a code that can never be violated. Bernardo is my little brother, I have seen him grow up, he has followed me in my sports career and seeing him shine means a lot to me," said Luisito. (espn.com.do, 23 May 2020; diariolibre.com, 11 Feb 2020)

CHARITY WORK
He and his brother Luisito have been involved in social projects in their hometown of Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. "We understand and know the needs of people at the bottom, because we come from a family with little resources. We believe that since we were lucky enough to move forward, we should help others do the same. It hurts us to see families that are not able to face the day to day, it hurts us a lot. That is why we focus a lot on social projects, getting what people need and doing everything possible to collaborate with our community." (espn.com.do, 23 May 2020)