Cuban judo results in European tour disappointing

The results of the Cuban judokas in the first and second tournaments of their European tour can be described as well below expectations, despite the gold medal and two bronze medals achieved this weekend in the Rome Open, in Italy (women's) and Oberwart, Austria (men's).

The quality of these events is not a secret for anyone, but also some Cubans have quality, led by the four Olympic and world medalists, mainly Idalis Ortiz, in more than 78 kilograms, Asley González (90 kilos ), José Armenteros (100) and Yalennis Castillo (78).

Ortiz is Olympic champion and twice world monarch; Gonzalez is Olympic runner-up and monarch of the world; and Armenteros and Castillo are universal and Olympic, silver medalists respectively .

The first stop was in Paris, France, home of the Grand Slam (for both sexes), and things were not good for the 10 disciples of Armando Padron and Justo Noda, as the best performance was the seventh seat achieved by Dayaris Mestre (48), with one win and two defeats.

The rest quickly ended its performance, mostly in their first appearances in an event that featured 562 judokas -356 men and 206 women- from 91 countries, all in search of points for the world ranking towards the Olympics next August in Rio de Janeiro.

The medals came in the second stops, with scenarios in Rome (w), with one gold, one bronze and two fifth seats – they both fought for bronze medals, and in the Austrian city of Oberwart (m), with one bronze and a fifth spot.

So far the only medalists are Castello (gold), Ortiz (bronze) and Armenteros (bronze), without forgetting the noticeable absence of Gonzalez, perhaps because of the strategy outlined, as in previous occasions, by coach Noda.

Meanwhile, the owners of fifth seats are Mestre (48), Espinosa (63) and Alex Garcia (+100).

The contest in Rome gathered 139 athletes from 29 nations and the one in Oberwart, was attended by 241competitors from 48 countries, and Cuba, with only nine representatives -five women and four men, finished fifth and eleventh in that order.

Now they have to wait for the coming weekend to participate in the Grand Prix of Dusseldorf, Germany (both sexes) where good individual and collective performance are expected to achieve better valuations by specialists and ranking points.

Although they all are seeking for medals - major meter when classifying performances, it is worth remembering that the main goal of Padron and Noda is that their pupils to continue adding points for the ranking, which grants 22 and 14 direct tickets for men and women in each of the 14 divisions, in that order, for the Brazilian event.

That's true, but it is also true that the winners of medals obtain greater number of units for the planet list.

Ortiz began the circuit in second seat in the ranking, while Gonzalez and Armenteros were seventh and twelfth, in that order.

Mestre (18), Espinosa (21), Estrada (27), Castillo (23), Silva (32), Cortes (33) and Garcia (36) appeared near the qualifying area by ranking, although there is another way to get tickets as there will also be provided continental berths.

Mestre, Espinosa, Armenteros and García have good chances to qualify through that latter route.

The last chance for Cubans to score points will be the Pan American Championships, scheduled from April 28 to 30 in Havana, where the winners will win 400 units, 100 less than those granted in Paris.