Record number of inscriptions in Havana Judo Grand Prix

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 6 (acn) The attendance of 385 judokas from 65 countries, including top-level athletes, already guarantees the success of Havana Grand Prix, scheduled for January 22 to 24 at the Sports City Coliseum.

The website of the International Judo Federation says that so far, 237 men and 148 women have announced their presence, figures that leave behind those achieved in the first edition of 2014.
Cuba, due to its local condition, can inscribe four athletes in each of the 14 divisions (women and men), and the list is led by Idalis Ortiz, Olympic champion and twice world monarch of the + 78 kilograms and Asley González (90 kilos), Olympic silver medalist and world champion respectively.
Russia, with 20, Germany (19), United States (18), Great Britain and Hungary (14), France and Azerbaijan (13) and Brazil (12) highlight among visitors by the number of athletes confirmed.
Brazilian Sarah Menezes (48 kg), American Kayla Harrison (78) and the aforementioned Cuban Ortiz, all London 2012 Olympic champions, will be joined to several world medalists and leaders of the world ranking.
The list of those well placed in the ranking includes Azeris Rustam Orujov , who ranks first in the 73 kilos, and Elmar Gasimov, leader of the 100 kg, reports the online edition of the sports publication JIT.
The latter division greatly stands out as it will also be attended by German Karl-Richard Frey, silver medalist in the last world championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as well as Belgian Toma Nikiforov and German Dmitri Peters, winners of bronze medals in that same tournament.
Cuban Jose Armenteros, silver medalist in the version of Chelyabinsk 2014, will also be a tough contender in this division, but quality may increase as there are still six days to the close of entries, which will be confirmed on January 21 at the technical meeting of the tournament, adds JIT.