When it became known that Ronaldo Veitía would not continue to lead the Cuban women’s judo team, it was difficult for me to get the idea that I would no longer see him guiding his girls to the edge of the tatami, the throne from where he transmitted a torrent of energy capable of putting to vibrate a whole room.
“The opponents were bothered by my way of being, my character, but I was born with that charisma. I always say that it is not so important to say what you feel, but that what you are saying is made felt. What I was saying made itself felt, “says Veitía in a telephone contact with OnCuba, just hours after the close of individual competitions in judo at the Tokyo Olympics.
Still today, almost six years after his retirement, I seem to see him exalted, straining to bring down the rivals along with his disciples. His huge figure, his way Sui generis of projecting himself, his sharp word and his undoubted knowledge made him one of the most outstanding coaches in history, to the point of deserving the statuette “Jigoro Kano” as a member of the Hall of Fame of world judo.
Veitía is missed and he is aware of it. “That people respect you, consider you, that they still ask about me, for what I’m doing, is the best. That is invaluable, ”he says.
However, it gives the impression that “El Gordo” —as many know him— does not enjoy the distance, it gives the impression that he wants to be there, near the tatami and the Cuban judocas. But a stroke of fate took him away from the position he had held for 30 years, and since then things have not been the same.
“A friend told me that when I was gone, my presence would be missed, but my absence would be felt more. He also told me that he had set the bar very high. Maybe it’s true, but I don’t like to talk about the work that other people have done after I left, it doesn’t seem ethical to me, ”says the 73-year-old coach, who felt fully qualified to continue as coach of the national team upon retiring.
“Without a doubt, he was fully convinced that he could continue, but he had already been in office for 30 years and that seems to be annoying. Misunderstandings began to appear, from many people who wanted to do what they understood and my work and my methods were questioned. It was then that I realized that it was time to finish, ”says Veitía, who became involved in a community project after retirement.
“It has been a drastic change. I miss girls, who have always given me a lot of affection. According to them, he was like a father, so it was difficult to be away. Little by little I have been adapting to the new life, working with children as part of the Spring Project, in which I invested all my time, but the pandemic came and it was necessary to collect oneself “, says” El Profe “, winner of more than 20 Olympic medals, including five titles.
Precisely, now that we are in the summer atmosphere, “El Gordo” recalls several passages of its very long history in six appointments under the five rings, from Barcelona 1992 to London 2012.
“The Olympic Games are always very strong, the best. You meet many well-prepared athletes, not only the big stars or favorites, but others who hardly know each other. In that scenario there is no small enemy, that’s why it takes so much work to win medals. Making history is not easy.
“I remember when we won the first medals in Barcelona, it was the greatest, the most meaningful, and we celebrated it in style. Imagine if I was excited that a person, of whom I reserve the name for ethics, told me that if because of that enthusiasm and because of the victory of Odalis Revé they were going to give me something. I turned around and told him that I didn’t know if they were going to give me something, but that I was sure that, when time passed, I would have an Olympic champion that he didn’t have ”, Veitía recounts.
That is one of the thousand stories that “El Profe” lived in the summer concert, where he alternated joys and disappointments at the same time. “Sydney 2000 marks the highest point of Cuban women’s judo in the Olympic Games with the triumphs of Legna Verdecia and Sibelis Veranes, and the silvers of Driulis González and Dayma Beltrán. I think about that and it makes me want to cry, you know, the longing for the great moments ”.
“But not everything is happiness. I also remember the bad times, the defeats, because, as I already told you, the Olympic Games are very hard. Look, in Athens we went without titles and in Beijing too, although there a bad decision by the judges took away the gold medal from Yalennis Castillo. They are experiences that will never be forgotten ”, he highlights.
Apart from defeats and bitter drinks, it cannot be denied that Ronaldo Veitía shaped one of the most consistent judo teams in the history of this discipline worldwide, and laid the foundations to talk about a National Judo School in Cuba .
“Since I came to the national team, I knew we could build a strong band and we worked hard to achieve it. When you work to win, defeat is not in sight. He always said it and said it, and it helped us a lot.
“I think the trust we developed between athletes and coaches was also very important, because a lot of people didn’t like it when girls did ‘man’ workouts. If they had turned their back on me, we wouldn’t be talking today. Everything was achieved based on seriousness, responsibility and discipline, a lot of discipline ”, he says.
As is logical, Veitía has been one more spectator in these Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I have followed everything I could and I am not satisfied with the Cuban performance, in any way. I understand that the pandemic has affected, but everyone has suffered. However, it has been very exciting to follow Idalys. I have seen her very well, very mature, impetuous, she has made me remember many things that we lived together, ”says Veitía, who does not forget the first steps of the stellar Artemiseña in the national team.
Targeting Tokyo: Idalys Ortiz is a machine
“Look, ‘the one that serves for violin, from the mountain sounds’. Idalys was always a very willing people, very dedicated and you could tell at a glance that she would be great. When she arrived at Cerro Pelado, I remember I told her that she was staying with me to train, that she was not going anywhere else. She was only 16 or 17 years old, but I saw very clearly how quickly she was going to be one of the best ”,“ El Profe ”recalls.
Veitía, like many Cubans who follow the sport, is also waiting to find out what will happen to Idalys in the future, but he tells us that, if he were still her coach, he would not try to impose any criteria on the continuity of his career. “I would let her decide. It is your life, you think what you want and decide. That is their space and it must be respected ”, he assures.
Almost at the end of the conversation I ask Veitía again about the health of Cuban judo, which if it weren’t for Idalys would be without medals in the last two Olympic Games. His answer is almost identical to the one at the beginning of the talk, he prefers to let those who are now leading the national teams work, although he wanted to send a message:
“He who does not attend to the future is orphaned. That must be borne in mind. We need to regain solidity and stability, otherwise the path is uncertain. “
