2024-07-06 23:24:52
Text: Cuba News 360 Editorial Team
Photos: RL Hevia
Cuba increased its delegation to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to 46 athletes thanks to the tickets obtained by archer Hugo Franco and diver Prisis Leydis Ruiz. The High Performance Department of Inder confirmed to the JIT newspaper that both athletes successfully completed the qualifying processes designed for their respective specialties.
The publication reports that Franco sealed his ticket to the 2024 Olympic Archery Qualifying Final Tournament, held in the Turkish city of Antalya. The Pinar del Río native secured his place after advancing to the semi-final round of the recurve bow modality, after beating Iranian Faez Mohammadizardkhaneh 7-3.
The three-time bronze medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023 and captain of the men’s archery team, will become the eighth Cuban to compete under the five rings. The first to have that privilege were Juan Carlos Stevens, Ismely Arias, Yaremis Pérez and Edisbel Martínez, who competed in the Sydney 2000 edition.
The report adds that four years later, in Athens, Maydenia Sarduy performed, Stevens repeated his experience in Beijing 2008 –with fifth place listed as the best historical result– and London 2012, and Adrián Puentes launched the last arrows in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Likewise, Santiago native Prisis received her ticket to Paris once the official allocation of places by World Aquatics in the individual three-metre springboard event was completed.
The Central Caribbean champion from San Salvador had a good chance of receiving the good news after finishing in 16th place at the world championship held in Doha, Qatar, last February, which allowed her to add the necessary points to the world ranking.
Ruiz’s qualification marks Cuba’s return to summer events in the three-meter springboard event after 24 years, when Joana Cruz made her debut in Sydney 2000. Eight years later, in Beijing, the previous participation of a Cuban diver was recorded in the figure of Annia Rivera from the 10-meter platform.
Precisely in this last test, the Antillean delegation could add Anisley Garcia, when the process of granting places in this test is finished, according to what Milagros González, national commissioner of this sport, declared to the aforementioned media.
Below are the 46 teams from Cuba that have qualified for Paris by June 18:
1-Leyanis Pérez, athletics (women’s triple jump)
2-Liadagmis Povea, athletics (women’s triple jump)
3-Roxana Gómez, athletics (women’s 400 meters flat)
4-Lázaro Martínez, athletics (men’s triple jump)
5-Cristian Nápoles, athletics (men’s triple jump)
6-Luis Enrique Zayas, athletics (men’s high jump)
7- Rose Mary Almanza, athletics (women’s 800 meters)
8- Shanier Reginfo, athletics (men’s 100 metres)
9- Reinaldo Espinosa, athletics (men’s 100 meters)
10 and 11-Daniela Fonseca and Jorge Moisés Campos, table tennis (mixed doubles)
12- Andy Pereira, table tennis (men’s singles)
13- Julio Cesar La Cruz, boxing (men’s -92kg division)
14- Arlen López, boxing (men’s -80kg division)
15- Saidel Horta, boxing (men’s -57kg division)
16- Alejandro Claro, boxing (male -51kg division)
17- Erislandy Álvarez, boxing (male -63.5kg division)
18- Kevin De Armas, Greco-Roman wrestling (men’s 60kg division)
19- Luis Alberto Orta, Greco-Roman wrestling (men’s 67kg division)
20- Yosvani Peña, Greco-Roman wrestling (men’s 77kg division)
21- Gabriel Rosillo, Greco-Roman wrestling (men’s 97kg division)
22-Mijaín López, Greco-Roman wrestling (men’s 130kg division)
23-Alejandro Valdés, freestyle wrestling (men’s 65kg division)
24-Geandry Garzón, freestyle wrestling (men’s 74kg division)
25-Arturo Silot, freestyle wrestling (men’s 97kg division)
26-Yusneylis Guzmán, freestyle wrestling (female 50kg division)
27-Milaymis Marín, freestyle wrestling (female 76kg division)
28-Marcos Antonio Rojas, modern pentathlon (men’s individual event)
29-Yarisleidis Cirilo, canoeing speed (C1-200 meters women)
30-Yisnoly López, canoeing speed (C2-500 meters women)
31-Leuris Pupo, sport shooting (25-meter rapid-fire pistol for men)
32-Jorge Félix Álvarez, sport shooting (25-meter rapid-fire pistol, men)
33-Laina Pérez, sport shooting (women’s 25-meter pistol)
34- Lisbet Hernández, sport shooting (women’s 10-meter air rifle)
35- Arlenis Sierra, road cycling (women’s event)
36- Reidy Cardona, rowing (men’s short pair of sculls)
37- Yariulvis Cobas, rowing (a pair of short oars for women)
38- Ayamey Medina, weightlifting (81 kilograms)
39- Rafael Alba, taekwondo (+80kg male division)
40- Arlettys Acosta, taekwondo (female +67kg division)
41- Idalys Ortiz, judo (female +78 kg division)
42- Maylín del Toro, judo (63kg female division)
43- Andy Granda, judo (men’s +100 kg division)
44- Ivan Silva, judo (men’s 90 kg division)
45- Hugo Franco, archery (recurve bow)
46- Prisis Leydis Ruiz, diving (springboard at 3 meters)