HAVANA, Cuba, May 13 (acn) Dayaris Mestre will be the first Cuban competing today, on the first day of the Judo Grand Prix of Almaty, Kazakhstan, seeking to improve her position in the Olympic ranking.
According to the website of the contest, Mestre (48 kilograms) will debut against the winner of the bout between Venezuelan Maria Guedes and Russian Maria Persidskaia.
She currently appears 13th in the world list but should have a good performance to secure her presence in the Olympics –the ranking grants 14 direct tickets to women- and this tournaments awards 300 points to the champions of each of the 14 divisions convened.
There will also be Cuban presence on Saturday through women Maricet Espinosa (63) and Onix Cortés (70) and men Magdiel Estrada (73) and Ivan Silva (81).
Espinosa, Silva and Estrada rank 13, 18, and 21 respectively, while Cortes should get her direct ticket through the continental ranking.
Meanwhile, women Yalennis Castillo (78) and Idalis Ortiz (+78) and men José Armenteros (100) and Alex García (+100) will be the Cuban representatives on Sunday.
Castillo, Ortiz, Armenteros and García appear 15th, 2nd, 9th and 20th, in that order.
Another Cuban with possibilities of attending the Brazilian Olympic Games is Asley González (90), who ranks 11th, but is not registered for this contest due to a slight discomfort in his right shoulder.
Last weekend, the disciples of Justo Noda (m) and Armando Padron (w) competed in the Grand Slam of Baku, Azerbaijan, with bronze medals for Espinosa and Silva, while Mestre and Ortiz both finished 7th.
This tournament in Almaty is attended by 399 judokas -253 men and 146 women - from 84 countries, seeking being included, ratified or improve their positions in the Olympic ranking which grants 22 (m) and 14 (w) direct berths for the Brazilian summer feast.
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