Olympic Weightlifter Goes Viral After Joining Onlyfans To Earn Extra Money for His Career

Mexican Olympic weightlifter Jorge Adán Cárdenas Estrada has attracted renewed attention after using OnlyFans as an additional source of income while continuing his career in competitive weightlifting.

Cárdenas, known as 'El Chino', was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on 21 April 1997, according to Mexico's National Commission of Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE). He represents Sinaloa and competes in weightlifting.

His route to the Olympics was built over years of competition in Mexico. Before reaching Tokyo, Cárdenas competed for the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa and won medals at the Universiada Nacional. He has also been coached for years by Jorge Aureliano Hüie Molinet, one of the figures credited with developing weightlifting in Sinaloa.

Cárdenas secured his Olympic place after a strong qualification period that included medals at international competitions. In 2021, he told local media: 'Gracias por el apoyo, me siento contento por estos logros, está dando frutos el trabajo que hemos venido realizando.' (Thank you for the support, I feel happy about these achievements, the work we have been doing is bearing fruit)

At the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cárdenas finished 11th overall in the men's 73kg (160.93 lb) division. He lifted 145kg (319.67 lb) in the snatch and 175kg (385.8 lb) in the clean and jerk for a 320kg (705.48 lb) total.

Why Cárdenas Opened an OnlyFans Account

Cárdenas later found another way to generate income outside the weightlifting platform.

In June 2023, he announced that he had opened an OnlyFans account and asked followers to support him through the platform. Mexican reports said the account was intended to provide additional financial support while he continued competing. One contemporary report listed the monthly subscription at $15 (£11.34), based on the 24 September 2026 USD-GBP rate of roughly $1 to £0.756.

The move came as Mexican athletes were facing wider concerns over the cost of maintaining elite sporting careers. Training, international travel, accommodation and competition expenses can place significant financial pressure on athletes, particularly between major Games.

Cárdenas' OnlyFans account therefore exists alongside, rather than instead of, his sporting career. His social-media profiles have also been used to promote the subscription service.

His decision is not unique among athletes. Other Olympians have turned to subscription-based platforms to supplement their income, including athletes who have spoken publicly about using such services to help finance training and competition.

Family Life Remains Largely Private

Despite the attention surrounding his career and social-media presence, relatively little verified information is publicly available about Cárdenas' immediate family or romantic life.

Some reports say Cárdenas began weightlifting young at his father's gym, though this is not confirmed by official records. His long-standing ties to Sinaloa's weightlifting community and coach Hüie Molinet are well documented.

There is also no reliable public record confirming that Cárdenas is currently married or identifying a current partner. His relationship status appears to have largely remained outside his public sporting profile.

Professionally, Cárdenas has continued to build his career. He won Sinaloa's State Sports Award in 2022 and was selected as one of Mexico's flag bearers for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

In August 2026, he won gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo. Cárdenas continues to balance elite weightlifting with his online income stream but reaffirmed his ambition of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.