The people of Guantanamo joyfully welcomed the gold medal of the judoka Idelannis Gómez at the XIX Pan American Games Santiago 2023, after beating the Puerto Rican María Pérez Díaz in the 70 kilogram division.
The 21-year-old athlete, who was sick with the flu, took the extra advantage to beat her opponent who has a world title in her record.
She said that she is very grateful of the people of her homeland, which is the first thing she thinks about. “My coaches Jorge Fuentes, Carlos Alberto, Evaristo, and Professor José Antonio also support me a lot, there are many people who are behind these results that make me proud as a Guantanamo native and as a Cuban. “I tried to ensure the fight in each match I had,” she declared
“I also want to thank my husband, the boxer Saidel Orta, who has always been a great support in my sporting life. Sometimes I have felt the desire to put everything aside, since I have lost competitions, but he tells me that I cannot give up, He has helped me maintain my body weight, diets. He is attentive to my dream schedules. We are a very united marriage, and that help us going on,” she said.
With Idelannis’s medal there are two gold medals for the Guantanamo athletes who are part of the Cuban delegation to the 2023 Santiago de Chile games, since boxer Arlen López obtained the Pan American Triple Crown with another great performance in the ring by winning, for unanimous vote, to the Brazilian Wanderley De Souza.
Translated by Liubis Balart
