Cuban female judoka and World and Olympic Champion Idalis Ortiz received the Cuban national flag in representation of the eight national teams which will take part in the Havana Grand Prix from January 22 to 24.
Cuban female judoka and World and Olympic Champion Idalis Ortiz received the Cuban national flag in representation of the eight national teams which will take part in the Havana Grand Prix from January 22 to 24.
Ortiz, a competitor in the category of 78 kilograms, took the Cuban national flag from the hands of Antonio Becali, president of the Cuban National Institute for Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) and was escorted in this ceremony by male judokas Asley Gonzalez (90 Kilograms) and Jose Armenteros (100 kilograms).
The champion of the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto (Canada), Dayaris Mestre (48 kilograms) read the General Commitment Act at the Havana Sports City Colisseum.
In her statements to the press, Ortiz said the main objective of the Cuban team is to get as many points as possible for the world ranking, to get ready for the Olympic Games in Brazil, in August, and she has the improvement of the 5th place obtained in the edition before as her personal goal.
To compete at home and always be the standard bearer of the delegation is a source of pride and inspiration to achieve good results, to get at the top of the podium is ideal, because it will help me to continue improving in the location of the ranking, said the Caribbean athlete.
The winners receive 300 units for their location in the universal ranking, 180, the runners-up and 120 the bronze medalists.
Gonzalez, another of the main letters of triumph of Cuba by his status as World Gold and Olympic silver medalist, was not in the previous version because it is recovering from a right shoulder operation.
Gonzalez, 26 years old, coincided with the aspirations of Ortiz.
"My injury is already a past history, and I am in very good form', he stressed.
Justo Noda, head coach of the Cuban male judo team, said that everyone is ready to get into action, as well as Armando Padrón, who heads the women, although he recalled the absence of Yanet Bermoy (52 kilograms), who is expecting a child.
Cuba achieved the second place by countries in the Grand Prix of Havana in 2015, with two gold medals, two silver and four bronze, with better performance for women (2-1-3), as the men closed with 0-1-1.
In the second edition in Havana 428 judokas will compete - 56 from Cuba - from 69 countries, figures that will be confirmed Thursday at the technical meeting, at the hotel Melia Habana Cuba.
Source: PL