Cuba and its weightlifters are going up to the platform of the Cerro Pelado High-Performance Athlete Training School (ESFAAR), with the aim of accumulating as many medals as possible, those that allow them to be among the top three nations in one and another sex and thus ensure the presence of seven men and as many women in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023.
We are talking about ours fighting between weightlifters from a dozen countries, seeking glory in 19 weight categories, so, to meet the proposed objective, and according to estimates by the president of the Cuban Weightlifting Federation, Jorge Luis Barcelán , and in correspondence with the registration volumes, a dozen medals would be needed in the male sector and eight among the ladies.
Regarding prizes, the competition rewards the snatch and clean and jerk exercises, and after the first two dates the men are fulfilling their mission, thanks to the lifts of Arley Calderón (62 kg) and Reydel Herrera (67).
In the case of Arley, his harvest was two silvers, backed by 270 (119-151), to escort the Colombian Habib de las Casas. Even ours could have hung the scepter in the clean and jerk, since he practically overcame 154 kilos, but a technical error prevented him from stretching his elbows to the maximum and the judges invalidated that last movement.
By the way, the 62 kg is one of the divisions in which Cuba has the best potential according to the position in the world ranking of Calderón and Otto Oñate; who saw the end of 2021 with respective seats 21 and 19, covered by 274 (119-155), and 276 (120-156) in that order.
For his part, Herrera was made of silver and tan metals in the snatch and clean and jerk respectively, supported by 122 and 151 kilograms. Here, fellow coffee grower José Luis Osorio swept the disputed gold (123-152).
The other medal of our army to date was hung on Franchesca Simón’s chest (45 kg), when she materialized a 64 kg snatch. And second the Venezuelan Rosielis Coromoto (69), ultimately the winner in both movements. Simón could not navigate with the same luck in the so-called clean and jerk, as he failed all three of his attempts over 77 kg. The remaining girls from home who have competed, have not been able to do themselves justice until this minute.
Current Cuban panorama
Cuban weightlifting has experienced a decline in recent years. The leadership that we used to have at the Pan-American level we have unquestionably ceded to Colombia and Venezuela fundamentally, with individuals from other countries.
Renewal of our squads to a great extent, and departure for various reasons from what was considered the backbone of our cast, fundamentally the manly one, have affected the current level we have.
Hence the importance of working solidly, to regain prominence in the different scenarios of confrontation, fundamentally the Central Caribbean, which seems to be the most immediate. A look at what happened in Barranquilla 2018, the last thermometer of this type reveals that our strongmen anchored there in the fifth position overall (3-9-4).
In addition to Colombia (12-9-3) and Venezuela (7-2-7), the Dominican Republic (5-7-7) and Mexico (4-5-4) surpassed us, countries that a little less than a decade ago they thought to finish in a regional or continental multi-sport event ahead of the Greater Antilles.
At the Pan-American level the decline has been just as considerable. Suffice it to say that despite the fact that Cuba continues to lead the continental medal table (160-55-15), in Lima 2019 only the super heavyweight Luis Manuel Lauret was able to win a medal (silver).
Four years earlier, in Toronto 2015, the winners of the (2-2-1) spoils had been Adriel La O and Yoelmis Hernández (gold); Yadier Núñez and Marina Rodríguez (silver); and Javier Vanegas (bronze). Of them, only Marina survives on our campus at the moment.
To which is added as the most immediate thermometer and the possibility of also calibrating the quarry what happened in the I Junior Pan American Games Cali-Valle 2021, a fight in which we landed in the sixth seat of this discipline with two subtitles and a third placed in the power of Edisnel Corrales (73 kg), Marifélix Sarría (+87), and Elizabeth Reyes (87).
Ahead of our entourage, and on a recurring basis were Colombia (7-1-1), the United States with a solid resurgence (3-2-2), Ecuador (2-1-2), Mexico (1-6- 0), and Dominican Republic (1-1-1).
Added to all this compilation of results is the fact that, among men, Olfídes Sáez, from Cienfuegos, is the best reference in the universal rankings with his 18th place, thanks to 355 (160-195); while among the females, Marina Rodríguez herself, with rung 14, is the best placed: 221 (98-123).
It is definitely time to work rigorously, on the platform, in each training session, so that the kilograms translate into development and allow us to return to times of greater joy.
