Dayanara Curbelo suffered a defeat against France’s Romane Dicko in the over-78 kilogram division at the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, ending Cuba’s run in the individual tournament.
Dicko Secures Victory Through Waza-Ari and Penalties
Dicko established the decisive advantage one minute and 15 seconds into the bout by scoring a waza-ari, allowing her to control the remainder of the match as Curbelo struggled to implement her tactical strategy. Penalties sealed the outcome for the Cuban heavyweight, who accumulated three shidos before the clock reached three minutes and nine seconds, triggering an automatic defeat by hansoku-make under international rules.
The loss left Cuba without any remaining athletes in the individual medal rounds. Prensa Latina confirmed that the delegation finished the individual competition with a sparse record of two victories and seven defeats across nine total bouts, yielding a success rate of 22.2 percent.
Ivan Felipe Silva Delivers Delegation’s Strongest Performance
Ivan Felipe Silva provided the high point for the Cuban team in the men’s up-to-100 kilogram category. Silva won his opening two matches to reach the round of 16, where he fell to Japan’s Dota Arai. That ninth-place finish added 320 points to his world ranking.
Reporting from the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) noted that prior to the event, Silva was ranked 24th in the world, while Jonathan Charón held the highest world ranking among participating Cubans at 19th in the 60 kg division. ACN further detailed that Cuba entered seven athletes into the tournament—three men and four women—overseen by men’s head coach Julio Alderete and women’s head coach Boannys Chang.
Four Female Competitors Finish Without a Win
Beyond Silva and Curbelo, the rest of the Cuban squad exited the individual brackets in their opening contests. ACN listed the early eliminations as Jonathan Charón in the 60 kg division, Orlando Polanco at 66 kg, Lian Benavides at 57 kg, Maylín del Toro at 63 kg, and Lianet Cardona at 78 kg. None of the four female competitors registered a match victory throughout the tournament.
The results extend a drought for Cuban judo in individual world championships that stretches back to Andy Granda’s gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 2022 Tashkent World Championships. The outcome underscores the current competitive hurdles facing a national program that historically ranked among global powerhouses.
World Rankings and Pan American Standing Context
The championships in Baku carried critical implications for qualification standings. According to ACN records from the Pan American Judo Confederation, 10 Cuban athletes sit inside qualification zones for the continental ranking, while four remain outside. Charón leads his division regionally, with Polanco second, Silva fourth, and Granda sixth in the over-100 kg class. Curbelo stood fourth in the continental regional rankings entering her division.
Japan topped the individual medal table with seven gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, followed by Georgia, Spain, Azerbaijan, and the United Arab Emirates. The competition schedule shifts to the mixed team tournament featuring weight classes in 73, 90, and over-90 kilograms for men, and 57, 70, and over-70 kilograms for women.
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