Three Cuban judokas close to qualify to Olympics

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 28 (acn) Cuba has three judokas in qualifying area for the Olympic Games next August in Rio de Janeiro after the results achieved at the recently concluded Grand Prix of Havana.

The Cuban trio is led by Idalis Ortiz, who appears second in the world ranking with 2 446 points in a list that grants 22 and 14 automatic berths for men and women, respectively, towards that tournament.

Ortiz , Olympic champion and twice world champion in the +78 kilograms is only surpassed by Chinese Song Yu (3 410 units), according to the website of the International Judo Federation (IJF).

It also stands out for the island Asley González (90 kilos -1450 points), Olympic runner up and world champion, who appears eighth, while his teammate Jose Armenteros ( 100-1330) ranks twelfth.

The leaders of the 90 and 100 kilos are South Korean Dong Han Gwak ( 2490) and Azeri Elmar Gasimov, with the same amount, in that order.

The also Cuban Dayaris Mestre (48 kilos) ranks 18th, and is close to qualifying area, while Maricet Espinosa (63), Yalennis Castillo (78), Onix Cortes (70) and Aliuska Ojeda (57) are in positions 21st, 23rd, 33rd and 36th, respectively.
Yanet Bermoy (52) appears 35th, but is waiting for a baby.

Among men, the nearest to the aforementioned zone is Alex Garcia (+100), at 36th, as Magdiel Estrada (73), Ivan Silva (81), Carlos Tondique (66) and Janier Peña (60) rank 27th, 32nd, 61st and 77th, in that order.

Japanese Madhisa Takato, in the 60 kilograms, Ukrainian Georgii Zantaraia (66), Azeri Tustam Orujov (73), Georgian Avtandili Tchrivishvili (81) and Frenchman Teddy Riner (+100) complete the list of leaders in these divisions.

The other six leaders of women's divisions are Mongolian Urangtseg Munkhbat (48), Romania's Andreea Chitu (52), Mongolian Sumiya Dorjsuren (57), Slovak Tina Trstenjak (63), Dutch Kim Polling (70) and American Kayla Harrison (78).

As provided by the Cuban Judo Federation, several of i ts representatives will continue looking for points for the world ranking when attending three tournaments in Europe, on April, and the Pan American Championships in Havana, next May.