By Yasel Porto
The legendary figure of world judo Ronaldo Veitía has been in the center of attention for weeks due to the delicate state of health he has been facing since last August.
In the last few days it transpired that he is in his home in the Havana municipality of Cotorro, with a state of form that is far from that charismatic man who became a symbol of Cuban sports. Basically due to having suffered a cerebrovascular infarction while visiting his son Ihosvany in Spain.
Several have been those who have dealt in one way or another, and that group also includes a well-known and prominent former pitcher of Industriales and Metropolitans.
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This is René Espín Delgado, who pitched between 1990 and 2005 with blues and reds indistinctly, with whom he achieved good results at the national level on several occasions.
Even in the year 2000 he concluded as one of the best in Cuba and that led him to the pre-selection for the sydney olympics.
It was that same campaign in which he threw a great match for Industriales in that memorable playoff against Metros (they won 2×0 in game 2), although three years later he added another transcendent moment by closing the game that crowned Industriales for the first time since 1996 .
This Tuesday, the native of Guanabacoa went to Veitía’s home with food and some necessary accessories for him and his daughter, who takes care of the award-winning coach 24 hours a day.
Espín himself told me how much the current situation in Veitía had impressed him. Both for speaking little and for not being able to remember much. Neither people nor much of his past. That moved him enormously with tears included.
“I ran out of there crying. I was a fan of his and seeing him in those physical conditions really moved me because he is not in good health. I told them that they could count on me for whatever it took”, the champion with Industriales in the 1995-96, 2002-03 and 2003-04 series told me.
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Last October Veitía was transferred from Spain to Cuba by personal decision. He was initially admitted to the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital and then the decision was made to continue treatment at his home where he celebrated his 75th birthday. The Institute of Sports Medicine was left with the medical responsibility for this case, as was publicly reported.
At the moment, several have joined in contributing to him in one way or another, such as the case referred to with the former pitcher from the capital. And surely many others will join in helping this figure who earned the respect and affection of many people, at the time of his life where he needs it most.
