The time has come for children and… notes on the end of an admirable streak
The postman from the television show live from the story It is customary to say that it brings “good news and bad news.”
Let’s start with a good judo: it is very encouraging for the future not only of our country, but of the entire continent, the upcoming celebration of an international competition, which will be held in our country, as indicated in a note from colleague Guillermo Rodríguez Hidalgo Gato, from Radio Rebelde.
From the 28th to the 30th of this month, the famous resort of Varadero will host the Pan American Children’s Judo Championship, based at the Meliá Internacional Hotel. More than 200 representatives from 10 countries have confirmed their presence.
Rafael Manso, president and national commissioner of judo, reported that Cuba has 195 athletes registered, while the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic complete the list of participants. Also, as a surprise, Mongolia joins in, although it does not belong to our region.
Regarding the categories, those under 13 years of age will compete in male and female divisions of 28, 31, 34, 38, 42, 48, 52 and more than 52 kilograms (kg). For their part, the under-15s will compete in the 36, 40, 44, 48, 53, 64 and over 64 kg divisions.
This type of competition, beyond the sporting results, offers immediate benefits to the physical and mental health of the participants. In the long term, it can also contribute to the development of talent for elite events, such as the Olympic Games.
Now, let’s leave the good news and move on to a second point. In reality, it is not recent bad news, but it is a necessary reflection…
A setback to remember
Cuban judo experienced a severe setback at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, breaking an admirable streak that had begun in Barcelona 1992: winning medals in each edition.
Among the greatest hopes was Iván Silva (90 kg), world runner-up in Baku 2018, who failed to get on the podium. Another case was Andy Granda (+100 kg), world champion in Tashkent 2022, who was close to bronze.
Finally, the Cuban judo legend Idalys Ortiz (+78 kg) could not shine as in previous editions. With four Olympic medals (bronze in Beijing 2008, gold in London 2012 and silver in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), he was on the verge of retirement in unfavorable physical conditions.
With his usual transparency, Idalys reflected a few days after the event, during a meeting with President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and the Olympic delegation. He stressed the importance of improving the training of coaches and strengthening the recruitment of young talents, the only way to guarantee generational change in Cuban judo.
The changes and studies are already underway. It remains to be seen whether they will have the necessary magnitude. While we wait, let’s remember this phrase from Paulo Coelho: “The secret of life is to fall seven times and get up eight.”
