PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- After a catastrophic year that brought a bloody rebellion, a foreign military occupation and deadly floods, Haitians hope an American-born boxer will win some Olympic glory to help them forget their troubles.
Andre Berto has never even set foot in the impoverished Caribbean country. Now, between practice and weigh-ins, he's learning the French words to Haiti's anthem -- and hoping to bring home the nation's first Olympic medal in 75 years.
Born in the United States to Haitian parents, Berto was a finalist for the U.S. Olympic team but was disqualified when he threw boxer Juan McPherson to the canvas during a February fight in Mississippi, injuring McPherson's neck.
It was a hard blow for Berto, who had dreamed of going to the Olympics ever since he watched Oscar de la Hoya win a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
"But I found a way to get in. They couldn't stop me," the 20-year-old said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his home in Winter Haven, Fla.
Because Berto holds dual citizenship, the Haitian Olympic Committee agreed to have him represent Haiti, which is sending 10 other athletes to Athens.
Committee President Jean-Edouard Baker said Berto, ranked as the world's third-best welterweight, and two others have solid chances at winning a medal. His first fight is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Although Berto grew up in a Haitian Creole-speaking household and understands French, he has never met his four grandparents or his half-sister Naomi, the only one of his six siblings who has not moved to the United States.
Berto won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok. If he wins in Athens, it would be Haiti's first Olympic medal since Silvio Cator won a silver in the long jump in 1928.
"He is the big hope for the country to live again, because the country is dead right now," said his father, Dieuseul Berto.
Haiti, the world's first black republic, celebrated 200 years of independence in January. But the revelry was marred by violent clashes between government opponents and supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the nation's first democratically elected leader.
Rebels launched a three-week uprising, pushing Aristide from power on Feb. 29 and bringing an interim government backed by the United States. A U.S.-led multinational force spent three months stabilizing the country before a U.N. force took over.
