5 judokas LEFT Cuban delegation in Europe – SwingCompleto

By José Alejandro Rodríguez Zas / @jzas23

The news about Cuban athletes leaving delegations of different sports in the most varied countries no longer surprises anyone. On many occasions, there are more headlines of this type than those referring to achievements, prizes or medals obtained in the contests in which they participate. The difficult reality that lives on the island, increasingly opaque and with the light of hope already extinguished years ago, is reason enough for everyone who can to seek a better future abroad, both personally and professionally. .Adverts

It may interest you: OFFICIAL NOTE: Cuba announced World Champion who escaped from the national team

On this occasion, the abandonment of five Cuban judokas to the delegation of the Greater Antilles that was making a preparatory tour of Europe, specifically in France, is news, according to what the journalist Francys Romero reported on his social networks. They are Vanesa Godinez (48 kg), Melissa Hurtado (52 kg), Santa Virgen Romero (78 kg), Blanca Elena Torres (52 kg) and Lutmary García (63 kg), who were included in said preparatory concentration.

5 Cuban judokas ???????? left the concentration that was on tour in France.

????Vanessa Godinez (48 kg)
????Melisa Hurtado (52 kg)
????Saint Virgin Romero (78 kg)
????Blanca Elena Torres (52 kg)
????Lutmary García (63 kg)

???? There are already 20 Cuban athletes who have… pic.twitter.com/a1wedBK1E9

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) May 26, 2023

The same source clarified that, although the information was now made public, the departures of these athletes occurred between the months of January and March of this year 2023. Godinez and Hurtado would have escaped on January 28, Torres and García on March 11 , while Romero does not know the exact date, their sources indicated.

It may interest you: 2 talented fighters left the Cuban delegation in Mexico

Vanesa (23 years old) from Artemisa was the holder of the Grand Prix of Arlon, Belgium (2017), bronze at the Quito Pan American Championship (2019) and silver medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima and more recently was also second in the Open Oberwart European, Austria (2022).

Melissa from Havana (24 years old) was team bronze at the 2017 Youth World Cup, silver at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla (2018), gold at the Pan American Cup in Lima (2018) and won the Oberwart European Open, Austria (2022).

Romero (28 years old) from Santiago was second in the Lima Open (2018) and also a silver medalist in the tournament in L’Aisne, France (2023).

The young woman from Villa Clara Lutmary (19 years old), with very little competitive experience, participated in the Guayaquil Youth World Cup (2022) and was a bronze medalist in the tournament in L’Aisne, France (2023).

The also young Blanca Elena (20 years old) won the silver medal in the Santo Domingo Youth Pan American Cup (2022).

It may interest you: Sports News: Cuban athletes from delegation in Spain escaped

All these athletes were part of the generational replacement of Cuban judo that has given up a lot of ground in the international arena, running out of medals at the most recent World Championship held in Doha, Qatar. Now they will seek to continue their sports careers on European soil and a better future for themselves and their families.