MADRID, Spain.- Wednesday promises to be a decisive day for several Cuban athletes in Paris, both for those competing for Cuba and for those competing under other flags. The day brings a duel between Cubans and discussions about medals.
Cuban delegation
Early in the morning, at 4:05 (Cuban time), Luis Enrique Zayas will seek to qualify in the high jump. Shortly after, at 5:00 am, Greco-Roman wrestling will see the debut of Luis Orta in the round of 16 of the 67 kg. Orta, chosen as the Best Wrestler in the World in the Greco-Roman style of 2023 and one of the great medal hopes for the Cuban delegation, will face the Japanese Kyotaro Sogabe. Their fight will be the tenth on the A mat.
At 5:40 a.m., José Ramón Pelier will compete in the men’s C1-1000 m canoeing race. Meanwhile, in diving, Prisis Ruiz and Anisley García will compete in the 3-meter springboard final at 9:00 a.m. Anisley García is participating for the second time in this Olympic event, having competed on Monday in the 10-meter platform, where she managed to advance to the semifinals, a historic result for Cuba.
The afternoon arrives with the long-awaited triple jump duel. At 1:15 pm Andy Hechavarría, Lázaro Martínez and Cristian Nápoles, with the Cuban delegation, will compete against Pedro Pablo Pichardo (Portugal), Jordan Diaz (Spain) and Andy Díaz (Italy). All of them have a good chance of competing in the final.
At 2:45 pm, Roxana Gómez will run in the semi-finals of the women’s 400m, seeking her place in the medal discussion.
A little later, at 4:34 pm, another expected moment of the afternoon will be the discussion of the title of Erislandy Alvarez in the 63.5 kg category against Sofiane Oumiha. The Guantanamo native reached the final after beating Georgian Lasha Guruli and securing silver. If he wins it today, it would be the second gold medal for the Cuban delegation in Paris. The first was obtained this Tuesday. Majin Lopezwho became the only athlete to win five consecutive Olympic titles in the same event.
Cubans in other countries
In addition to the aforementioned triple jumpers Jordan Díaz, Andy Díaz and Pichardo —who along with Hechavarría, Martínez and Nápoles will set a record, as it will be the first time that six triple jumpers born on the Island compete to qualify for the final—, there are several performances by Cubans today representing other nations.
At 5:00 am, the young man Nestor Almanza Jr.a naturalized Chilean, will face Valentin Petic of Moldova in the round of 16 of the 67 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category.
While Yulenmis Aguilarrecently a Spanish national, will discuss the javelin throw classification at 5:50 am.
After proclaimed champion of Spain at the end of last Junethe Cuban rose to 29th place in the ranking of World Athletics, which secured her a ticket to the Olympics. The athlete obtained Spanish nationality in April of this year.
This August 7th, at 5:40 am, you will also see action Fernando Dayan JorgeOlympic canoeing champion in Tokyo 2020. This time he is competing with the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR). Shortly before the start of the Paris Games, the Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) solicitous to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the “immediate expulsion” of the canoeist from the EOR. Dayán Jorge was accepted into the EOR in May 2024
In men’s volleyball, Wilfredo León, considered by many to be the best volleyball player in the world, will lead Poland into the semifinals against the United States at 10:00 am.
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