The Cuban judo team has not secured any medals at the World Judo Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The seven-athlete delegation failed to advance past their opening bouts, extending a trend of declining international results for the program.
Early Exits in Baku
The campaign began with a series of first-round defeats that left the team unable to gain momentum. Jonathan Charón (60 kg) was the first to exit, falling to Kazakhstan’s Aman Bakytzhan by waza-ari during a golden score period. Orlando Polanco (66 kg), who finished fifth at the 2025 Budapest World Championships, followed with a loss to China’s Ziyang Xue after accumulating three penalties. Lian Benavides (57 kg) was subsequently defeated by ippon at the hands of Oyunchimeg Oyungerel, a Mongolian-born judoka now representing the United Arab Emirates.
Maylín del Toro (63 kg), an experienced competitor aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, was eliminated in her first match against Croatia’s Nina Simic, who secured a waza-ari victory. Del Toro arrived in the Azerbaijani capital only hours before her debut, leaving her far from the fifth-place finish she achieved at the 2018 edition held in the same venue. The lack of success continued through the final individual sessions, as the team struggled to replicate the historical competitiveness of the Cuban judo program.
Administrative Delays Hinder Team Preparation for Baku
The team arrived in Baku with a reduced squad of seven athletes, notably missing Andy Granda, the 2022 world champion from Tashkent. Julio Alderete, the team’s technical director, told the press that the delegation’s preparation was hindered by administrative delays. These issues prevented the athletes from competing in the Grand Slam tournaments in Lausanne and Budapest, forcing the team to travel to the world championships without recent international match experience.
The national federation’s performance in Baku follows a pattern of recent struggles. JIT Deporte Cubano reported that the 2025 Budapest World Championships also concluded without any Cuban medalists, marking the third world event where the team failed to reach the podium—a drought unprecedented since the 1987 Essen tournament. From the bronze medal won by Jorge Fis Castro in the open category at the 1987 German event until the silver medal of Idalis Ortiz (+78 kg) in Tokyo 2019, athletes from the island had always secured at least one medal.
Success for Former Cuban Athletes
While the official delegation faced early elimination, other athletes born in Cuba achieved podium finishes while representing different nations. Ayumi Leiva (52 kg), who left a Cuban delegation in Madrid four years ago, won a bronze medal for Spain. Leiva, the 2024 European U-23 champion, defeated Mongolia’s Uranzaya Bayanmunkh to secure her place on the podium.
María Celia Laborde, now representing the United States, also reached the quarterfinals. Laborde defeated Swedish Olympic medalist Tara Babulfath in the round of 32 before being eliminated in the repechage, ultimately finishing in seventh place. These performances contrast with the results of the official Cuban team, which has struggled to maintain its standing among the top nations in global judo rankings.
Remaining Schedule in Azerbaijan
The responsibility to improve the team’s standing now rests with Lianet Cardona (78 kg) and Iván Felipe Silva (100 kg), who are set to step onto the tatami this Friday. Silva, a 2018 world silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist, will face Cypriot Judoka Aristos Michael in his opening match. The individual competition concludes Saturday with Dayanara Curbelo (+78 kg). The team’s focus then shifts to the mixed team tournament, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday. This final event represents the last opportunity for the Cuban delegation to secure a positive result before departing Baku.
