Until yesterday, the IBSA Judo World Championship was held in Azerbaijan, in which the best result for Cuba was the silver medal for Sheyla Hernández, in the +70 kg division, category J2 (severe visual impairment).
The Cuban had defeated, in the semifinals, one of the main favorites for the title, the French Priscillia Leze. In the grand final she faced the Italian Carolina Costa. According to the International Judo Federation website, Hernandez “attacked at a good pace throughout, but she made a small mistake that cost her the crown. She turned around, tried to risk it, and went back out. As she did so, Costa sensed her space in front of her and entered it, bringing her opponent onto her mat to hold her down and take her title.”
Hernández competed again as part of the IBSA international team, a test in which he won the bronze medal. For her part, Yordani Fernández (90 kg, J2) ranked fifth, by giving up in the discussion of the bronze medal; Yonaldy González (73 kg, blind) and Jenny García (60 kg, blind) lost in their debut.
In the men’s team event, the locals took the gold, Turkey the silver, and Brazil and Kazakhstan, the bronze.
