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The reunion between two greats of Cuban sport, Judoka Driulis González and the volleyball player Ihosvany Hernández, took place on Wednesday in Miami, far from the country where they achieved their greatest success, but also where they found a new life.
It was Hernández himself who on the picture of the moment Facebook Said, recorded in a Chevrolet dealer, where he works as a seller, together with a message full of affection and nostalgia.
“The years pass, but respect, admiration and friendship never lose themselves. Judo and volleyball are once again together in the best dealer in the world in Chevrolet sale. The big ones with the big ones! Driulis González, we love you and may keep giving you health so that your smile, all of them, never disappears.” he said.
In the article, dozens of supporters congratulated both athletes and recalled their sporting performances.
González simply replied: “Blessing wishes, champion, thanks for your attention. God bless you, greetings.”
Crossing stories and a common end
Ihosvany Hernández, a giant of 2.06 meters, was one of the great pillars of Cuban volleyball in the 90s.
Three Olympionics – Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 – he collected medals at World Cups, Ligen and Pan -American games.
Nevertheless, he made one of the toughest decisions in his life in 2001: together with five other colleagues, he deserted from the national team during a tournament in Belgium.
He played professionally in Italy, Turkey, Argentina, Poland and Romania until his resignation in 2013. But his flight had its price: 13 years without the opportunity to travel to Cuba, ten years without seeing his two sons and seeing again for seven years without his parents. Nevertheless, he describes his decision to go as “the best of my life”.
Today, as a seller, he prospered in a Chevrolet dealer in Miami and helps other families to make dreams come true who are unreachable on the island.
On her side, Driulis González – who is considered the best Cuban judoka ever – also found a fresh start in Miami.
After shining at five Olympics, with a gold medal, a silver medal and two bronze medal and winning three world championship titles in various weight classes, the Guantanamera is now devoting itself to the training of children and adolescents and conveys an experience that the Cuban government can no longer use.
The contrast to the Cuba that you have left behind
Both champions symbolize the contrast between the fame that was reached in the name of the Cuban flag, and the subsequent forgetting by the state itself. While the official propaganda presents its medals as trophies of the system, neither Hernández nor González found the space in the country to grow, nor the necessary stability for their future.
The reunion in Miami, which was celebrated with warmth and admiration, is also a memory of how the Cuban government has wasted the talent of top athletes who are forced to emigrate or emigrate to seek a worthy future for themselves and their families.
While Cuba continues to be in a crisis, without resources or clear perspectives for his sport, characters such as Ihosvany and Driulis build up a life far from communist control.
And his hug in Miami is not only that of two old friends: it is also the symbol of a diaspora that the regime could never silence.
Frequently asked questions about the meeting of the Cuban masters in Miami
Who are the Cuban champions who met again in Miami?
The Cuban masters who have found themselves in Miami are Driulis González and Ihosvany Hernández. Driulis is considered the best Cuban judoka ever, while Ihosvany was an outstanding Cuban volleyball player in the 1990s. Both found a new life in Miami after their successful sports careers in Cuba.
Why did Ihosvany Hernández decide to leave the Cuban national team in volleyball?
Ihosvany Hernández decided in 2001 during a tournament in Belgium to desert with five other colleagues from the Cuban national volleyball team, looking for better professional and personal opportunities. This decision cost him 13 years in which he could not return to Cuba and was separated from his family, but he believes that it was the best decision of his life because he now lives in Miami and has found stability by working as a car seller.
How was Driulis González’s life after emigration to Miami?
Driulis González found a fresh start in Miami by training children and young people in judo. Despite her sporting success in Cuba, where you won medals at five Olympic Games and three World Championships, Driulis now gives her experience to the new generations in an environment of greater freedom and more opportunities than in her home country.
What symbolizes the reunion of Ihosvany Hernández and Driulis González in Miami?
The reunion of Ihosvany Hernández and Driulis González in Miami symbolizes the contrast between the sporting fame that was reached in Cuba, and the subsequent forgetting by the Cuban state. It shows how the talent of many Cuban athletes was wasted by the regime, which forced it to emigrate or desert to seek a better future. This meeting is also a symbol of the Cuban diaspora, which has found freedom and recognition abroad that the communist system has refused to do.
