Q&A: Monica Puig On Olympic Gold And Giving Back to Puerto Rico

After winning Puerto Rico’s first ever Olympic gold medal, Monica Puig was welcomed by a crowd of 500,000 in the capital San Juan.

Now, she is giving something back.

Monica Puig reacts after beating world No. 1 Angelique Kerber in the gold medal match at the Rio Olympics in August.  (Photo: LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)

Puig, who was born in Puerto Rico but moved to Florida when she was a baby, will be playing five-time major winner Maria Sharapova in an exhibition event in the capital San Juan on December 15.

Puig’s triumph handed fellow Puerto Ricans a rare reason to celebrate as the US territory struggles with a crippling debt crisis and stagnant economy that has seen many leave the Caribbean island.

Below is an email exchange between FORBES and Puig as she traveled to Doha, Qatar to be crowned Best Female Athlete of the Rio Games by the Association of National Olympic Committees earlier this week.

FORBES: As the tennis season has now come to an end, how do you look back on your Olympic medal?

MONICA PUIG: I have to say that each time I think about it, or I am reminded about winning the Olympic Gold medal, I still get goosebumps and sometimes even have to pinch myself to realize this really happened.

Danielle Rossingh
Q&A: Monica Puig On Olympic Gold And Giving Back to Puerto Rico