Havana, October 6 (RHC) – The three Cuban judokas who took to the tatami today at the World Junior Judo Championships, held in Lima, Peru, were eliminated in their respective opening bouts.
Jon Kuan Fleitas of the 73-kilogram division, Alexander César (81 kg), and Glenda Maso Veranes (70 kg) were unable to make it in their debut against opponents with more international standing.
The former fell to Uzbekistan’s Muhriddin Marufov by ippon; César lost to Canada’s Artem Neyolov, also by ippon; and Maso was defeated by Japan’s Rin Maeda, who imposed two waza-ari to take the win.
The Caribbean team showed dedication and discipline on the stage of Videna’s Sports Center 1, but the technical superiority of their opponents swung the result from the first exchanges.
With these setbacks, Cuba has accumulated five early eliminations in the competition, demonstrating the high competitive level of the youth tournament.
The Antillean hopes now shift to the final day, when Zail Ramírez (–100 kg), Dayanara Curbelo (+78 kg) and Lisrialis González (–78 kg) will take action, determined to reverse the trend and place Cuban judo among the protagonists in Lima.
