We all fondly remember Chabelo, the friend of the children and for whom we woke up early on Sundays, although there is a facet that many are unaware of and that is far removed from acting. Chabelo during his youth dedicated himself to practicing Greco-Roman wrestling and he was even about to go to the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games and represent Mexico.
Chabelo, national champion of Greco-Roman wrestling
Naturalized Mexican, although there are records that he was born in Chicago on February 17, 1935, Xavier worked his way up to perform in Olympic wrestling. That was due to his great size and weight, since at 17 he was already entering the Welterweight category.
Also, thanks to his victories in regional championships, he went to the National Championship and was the winner. Can you believe that he beat a man 7 years older than him? He certainly had a lot of potential.
Xavier was finally selected to go to Helsinki 1952. He even went to the flag of the Mexican delegation, held at the Old Military College and led by former president Miguel Alemán Valdés.
The cataphyxia that marked his life
Just as Xavier’s Olympic dream was about to come true, it came to an abrupt end. It was a Monday, July 14, 5 days before the trip, when a federation told him that he would have to give 40,000 pesos for expenses.
That amount of money was not foreseen by Xavier or his family, which is why he did not go to the Olympic Games and instead was supplanted by that young man he defeated in the National Championship.
“I cried a lot those days, because they never told me that you had to earn the ticket and have a lot of money for expenses. That man called me again before the trip and he told me that if there was no wool, there were no games. The 24-year-old competitor, the one I defeated the good one, was given my place. I still remember that his last name was Rosado ”-Xavier López“ Chabelo ”, in a conversation with Excelsior in 2008.
Going to the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games might have marked a different course for Chabelo. In addition, these Games went down in history for being held in the midst of the Cold War, which was noted in the fact that Germany sent two delegations and that the USSR participated for the first time.
After such a misadventure, Chabelo abandoned Greco-Roman wrestling and became a tackle defensive player at UNAM for three years. He then went to work at XEW-TV Channel 2, where he became assistant camera director and was hired for the programs musical carousel and Noon varieties.
Finally, Xavier López found the project that would mark his professional life: In family with Chabelo.
By Ximena Rojas
Mexico Unknown Unknown Mexico is the tourist medium with the longest tradition and the most visited travel network in Mexico. We want to spread our passion for the most authentic of Mexico.