• Submitted by: lena campos
• Sports
• 08 / 14 / 2012

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The champions allways come back, said a Brazilian colleague while showing admiration for Cuba´s performance in the XXX Olympic Games in London-2012, again in the leadership of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Now the archipelago ended in 16th place among 204 delegations, over the freshness of Jamaica with Usain Bolt and a band of excellent runners in both sexes, and ahead of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and the Dominican Republic, just to name a few.

Beyond financial considerations and interests, the credit for small countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic and several islands of the Anglophone Caribbean, trascends because stresses the qualities and ability of their athletes.

The Cuban case, in an international complex and sometimes hostile context, has trimmed of greened laurels. Although to do justice, it never lost the luster of the elected and needed sacrifices to managed to retain its preeminence.

A balance of 14 medals (five gold, three silver and six bronze), with the return of the boxing to seat up on the podium (Robeisy Ramirez and Roniel Iglesias), the entry of a sniper on the sky (Leuris Pupo) and the rise of a judoka (Idalys Ortiz).

The legend of Mijain Lopez revalidate the Olympic crown in Beijing reached in wrestling and three world titles, along with other stories of figures who were on the verge of glory, but they were just on the threshold.

Essential details: Cuba was also by far pointer in the American continent, behind only the United States, head of the medals (104).

Jamaica was at position 18 (12 medals, four of each color), largely thanks to Usain Bolt and Brazil, the South American giant, ended in step 22 with 16 medals (3-5-8).

Welcome exceptions, the post of the Bahamas 4x400 meters, the golden crown of Granada Kirani James in the 400 meters, and the surprise winner of Trinity javelin, Keshorn Walcott, 19.

For the Dominican Feliz Sanchez, in his 35 and almost forgotten, rescued the gold that he had tasted in Athens 2004 in the 400 meter hurdles and Luguelín Santos, 18, today's runner sub-Olympic champio in the 400 meter dash.

Mexico with a memorable victory over the favorite Brazil 2-1, stood on the step 39 with seven medals (1-3-3), one below of Colombia with eight (1-3-4). While Venezuela gave a spark to the fencer Ruben Limardo gold, and had to settle with the rail 50.

It is important to noted that only 80 countries or National Olympic Committees (of 204) received medals here.

It would be unfair to conclude without very prominent mention to walker Erick Barrondo, silver in the 20-kilometer walk, to place and to Guatemala on a map of the Olympic Games, with its first medal in history.

Source: Prensa Latina