Cuban Judokas Claim Bronze at Tashkent Grand Slam

On Sunday, Cuba secured two bronze medals at the Tashkent Grand Slam in Uzbekistan, thanks to the impressive performances of acclaimed judokas Iván Felipe Silva (100 kg) and Andy Granda (+100 kg). Their podium finishes are particularly noteworthy, as they were the only representatives from Latin America to earn medals, according to Prensa Latina.

Silva, who also placed third at the Paris Grand Slam in February, triumphed over Tajik Dzhakhongir Madzhidov in the bronze medal match. Prior to this, he defeated Chinese judoka Yijie Shen and Uzbek Ernazar Sarsenbaev, both by Ippon, before being bested in the semifinals by Russian Matvey Kanikovskiy, who ultimately claimed the category's championship.

Meanwhile, Granda, who was a world champion at this same venue in 2022, began his campaign with a win against Tajik Mansur Rahmon in the quarterfinals but was overpowered in the semifinals by Russian Denis Batchaev. In the contest for third place, the Cuban judoka prevailed over Estonian Marek-Adrian Masak.

This news brings a breath of fresh air to the island's judo scene, which has struggled in recent years compared to the times when the national women's team was among the world's best, guided by the late coach Ronaldo Veitía. Notably, the Cuban judo team failed to secure any medals at the recent 2024 Paris Games. It's important to highlight that Cuban judo has had a presence on the Olympic podium at every summer edition since Montreal 1976, except for the Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Games, when they did not send delegations.