2024-04-28 11:55:12
Cuban judoka Magdiel Estrada left the Cuban delegation participating in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Estrada left the competition with which he sought qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games through America’s quota.
The Cuban judoka decided not to appear at the event, therefore losing the opportunity to represent the country in the Olympics.
In the Olympic classification ranking list, the athlete already appears as retired, and this Friday, the digital media JIT confirmed the athlete’s decision in a brief sentence.
In the 73kg at the Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019 Pan American Games, the Cuban judoka became the champion in his category, while in Santiago de Chile he would once again be champion with the island’s mixed team.
“Among his other relevant highlights, several titles in the Central American and Caribbean Games and Grand Slam medals stand out. For Magdiel, these were going to be her third Olympic Games, since she also participated in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Judo and the Cuban sports movement lose a prominent figure less than three months before the great event in the French capital. A phenomenon that does not stop,” indicated Play-Off Magazine.
At the moment it is unknown if the athlete will stay in Brazil or migrate to another country.
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It is worth remembering that Estrada is not the only Cuban athlete who has made this decision in international competitions. Before, Santiago Hernández and the fighter Susana Martínez also left the Cuban delegation in Mexican lands, thus becoming the first athletes who, in 2024, took advantage of their stay abroad to escape the dictatorship.
This situation reflects that Cuban athletes, despite their talent, are treated in the worst possible way and, in the midst of their desperation, they do not waste opportunities that life gives them to embark on the path to fulfilling their dreams.
Editorial of Cubans around the World