Nayare Menoyo (Journalism student)
This new year started with a great news for the Cuban female team, because the updated world ranking placed it in the fifth position, while the male team is in the tenth position, according to the international federation web site of that sport.
Ronaldo Veitia’s girls with 544 points- 400 from the Pan American Championship and 144 from the last world competition –are only behind the teams of France (1,300), Japan (760), Mongolia (620) and Germany (600) in that order and they are placed before the powerful teams of South Korea and Brazil, while they are in the best position of the American continent.
The updated list also recognizes the world and Olympic champion Idalis Ortiz in the first place of her division (+78 kg), and at the same time, there are in outstanding positions Yanet Bermoy (8th -52 kg) and Maricet Espinosa (12-63 kg). The rest are Aliuska Ojeda (34-57 kg), Onix Cortes (19-70 kg), Dayaris Mestre (23-48 kg) and Yalennis Castillo (21-78 kg).
The male team adds 384 units -240 in the Pan American lid and 144 in the universal- and it is the second in America, because Brazil in the forth position with 580 after Japan (1, 060), Russia (780) and Georgia (760).
Among the most outstanding judokas there are: the silver Olympic medalist Asley Gonzalez (8th -90 kg), Jose Armenteros (13-100 kg) and Magdiel Estrada (25-73 kg).
The most important international commitment where our athletes will participate in 2015 is the 31st Edition of the World Championship with its venue in Astana, Kazakhstan where Ortiz hopes to win his third golden medal in these lids.
