Cuban taekwondo athletes win tournaments in Mexico

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 14 (acn) Cubans Rafael Alba and Rosbelis Despaigne, both in the division of more than 87 kg, said goodbye to the Mexican city of Queretaro with the titles won in the Taekwondo Pan American Championships and the continental Open, respectively.

According to the website mastaekwondo.com, Alba, only Cuban qualified to the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016 (Brazil), won the scepter in the continental competition when beating by forfeit American Stephen Lambdin.
At this event, the young Antillean promise had previously defeated the also American Jonathan Healy (3-1) and Uruguayan Braian Elliot (1-0).
Alba did not have the same fate in the Open tournament, where he was eliminated by forfeit in the initial bout against Canadian Marc Andrade Bergeron, in an event that was won by Despaigne, who beat 6-0 in the final Brazilian Guilherme Cezario.
In the way to the final he beat Healy (13-1), Ecuadorian Jesus Perea (7-6) and French Omar El Yazidi by forfeit.
Alba attended both events in order to move up in the world ranking, he currently appears 17th, in order to have a better position in the draw in the Olympincs, Roberto Abreu, coach of the Cuban squad, told the press.
Both Alba and Despaigne, along with Carlos Guzman, will return again to La Loma High Performance Training Center, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, where they will undergo a training base from today until June 18.
Subsequently, Alba will attend the Opens of Korea (June 30-July 5th) and Luxembourg (July 9-10), preparation that will culminate in a training base in Brazil from July 24 to August 18th, and two days later he will debut in the summer event of that nation.