HAVANA, Cuba.- Luis Teodoro Gastón Castro, the first Cuban judo medalist in the Pan American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games, died at the age of 86.
The announcement of his death was made in Facebook the Legends of Judo portal, but did not specify the place or cause of his death. “Glory and legend of Cuban judo,” the site described Gastón, who in addition to having been one of the main judokas on the Island in the late 50s and in the 60s in the minor divisions, stood out after his Retirement as coach of national teams and international referee with presence in the Olympic Games.
“He died in the United States, but I have not confirmed in which city,” he told CubaNet a former judoka of national preselections who considered him among the initiators of the international results of judo on the Island.
Gastón was a gold medalist in the 63 kg division in the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, beating Mexican Carlos Espinosa in the final. It was the year of the debut of this sport created by the Japanese Jigoro Kano in these multidisciplinary games on the continent.
In the Puerto Rican event, Cuba would win three more medals: Roberto Sánchez, silver in 71 kg, Rolando Sánchez, gold in 93 kg and Ibrahim Cepero, bronze in the open category.
A year later, Cuba won its first metals in continental history, four bronze medals at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, and Gastón won one of the awards, in the 63 kg, sharing third place with the American Larry Fukuhara, category won by the Brazilian Akira Ono followed by the Canadian Patrick Bolger.
The other Cuban winners were Ibrahím Torres (70 kg), Rolando Sánchez (93 kg) and Humberto Medina (free division).
After the Canadian event and their farewell as active athletes, Gastón, Torres and Cepero coincided for almost two decades in the coaching staff that had under its tutelage the first Cuban judo Olympic medalists led by Héctor Rodríguez (63 kg), the first champion. Olympian of America, in Montreal 76, and the runners-up José Rodríguez Carbonell (60) kg), Juan Ferrer Lahera (78 kg, died in 2015) and Isaac Azcuy Oliva (86 kg), in Moscow 80.
Carbonell, who has been working as a coach in Guayaquil, Ecuador for several years, wrote on social networks: “Rest in peace, Maestro.”
In her message of condolence, the Pan American Confederation of this sport he described him as “pioneer of Cuban judo.” “Sensei Gaston’s legacy will endure in the lives he touched and in the mark he left in Cuban judo,” his statement reads.
Until the time of writing this note, the official press on the Island had not yet reported the death of this glory of judo and Cuban sport.
2024-06-24 08:46:07
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