Cuban sport suffered another blow this week after Cuban judoka Magdiel Estrada, who was with the national judo delegation at the Pan American and Oceania Championships, abandoned the team while it was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to the official media JIT, The Greater Antilles did not have representation in the 73 kg category, to which Estrada belonged, this because the young man originally from Matanzas decided to leave the delegation “before fulfilling his commitment.”
Estrada was considered one of the most promising competitors, so Cuba’s chances of winning a medal during the championship have taken a major hit.
The young man, 29 years old, had been representing the Institute of Sports and Physical Recreation (Inder) for several seasons, and was in the fight to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris next summer.
Places for this event are awarded according to position in the world ranking, which in turn accumulates points during the Olympic cycle. This makes his escape an even bigger surprise, since the athlete did not hesitate to let go of the opportunity to participate, reflecting the desperation that some citizens have to escape from the Island.
Estrada has three titles in Pan American Games and several medals in continental competitions. Likewise, his career included previous participation in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Pan American Championship
At the moment, no more leaks have been reported within the Cuban team. Of the rest of the delegation, three athletes (Jonathan Charón, Aleanny Carbonell and Maylín del Toro) won a bronze medal in various categories.
The closing will be held this Saturday, April 27, and Naysdel Cardoso, in the 81 kg category, Iván Silva, in the 90 kg category, Liester Cardona, in the 100 kg category, Jonatan Loynaz (+100 kg) and the world champion will participate. Andy Granda, also in the +100 kg.
Likewise, Lianet Cardona (78 kg) and Idalys Ortiz (+78 kg) will represent the Greater Antilles in the women’s category.
At the moment, Brazil has four gold medals, while Canada, Australia and Chile have one each. For its part, Cuba is in eighth place out of 18 participating countries.
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