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Three Cuban judokas—Lianet Cardona, Dayanara Curbelo and Jonathan Charón—left the national delegation in Florida after winning medals at the Pan American Open. The athletes, aged 21 to 22, had been scheduled to compete in Montreal the following week but departed the team on Tuesday, according to Cuban independent media outlet 14ymedio. A day later, Cubalite reported that Charón had also withdrawn after completing his competition. Cardona and Curbelo each earned silver medals in the 78‑kilogram division. Curbelo defeated Poland’s Urszula Hofman and Dominican Republic’s Moira Morillo before losing the final to Venezuela’s Karen León. Cardona beat the United States’ Lydia Coleman and was defeated by Venezuela’s Elvismar Rodríguez in the gold‑medal match. Charón won the gold medal in the 60‑kilogram category, defeating Brazil’s Michel Augusto in the final. He had arrived in Florida as the reigning champion of the Central American and Caribbean Games. The judokas were part of Cuba’s national team and had previously earned international medals. Curbelo was the flag bearer for Cuba at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción 2025, where she won the country’s only gold in judo. In 2026 she earned bronze medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo and at the senior Pan American Championships in Panama City. Cardona also earned bronze at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games and had previously medaled at the 2024 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the 2025 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. Charón’s record includes bronze medals at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Calgary and the 2024 edition in Rio, silver at the 2025 Championships in Santiago, and gold at the 2026 Championships in Panama City, as well as a bronze at the 2025 Grand Slam in Tbilisi. The departures come amid a broader pattern of Cuban athletes defecting while abroad. The same day the judokas left, Olympic freestyle wrestler Yusneylis Guzmán López abandoned the Cuban delegation during a stop in Mexico. Guzmán, 30, was the first Cuban woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, taking silver in the 50‑kilogram event at the Paris 2024 Games. She had been traveling with the team to Brazil when she left the group in Mexico. Cuban coach Alain Fernández, who trains Cuban judokas in the United States, expressed concern over the losses. “How long will we keep losing athletes who have been trained in our system?” he asked. He cited Cuba’s economic, political and social challenges, the lack of resources, limited international exposure and professional opportunities as factors contributing to the defections. Since 2013, Cuban sports authorities acknowledge that more than 1,000 athletes have defected from national delegations. The trend has affected Cuba’s performance at international competitions. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Cuban athletes won 18 medals in total, but only nine were earned by the official Cuban delegation. The remaining nine medals were won by Cuban-born athletes competing for other countries, including one gold, four silvers and four bronzes. The official Cuban team consisted of 61 competitors across 16 sports, while 21 Cuban-born athletes represented other nations. The loss of Cardona, Curbelo and Charón, all of whom were considered promising prospects for future international events, further complicates Cuba’s plans for the upcoming Pan American Championships in Canada. Article source: El Imparcial | Image credit: El Imparcial
Three Cuban judokas—Lianet Cardona, Dayanara Curbelo and Jonathan Charón—left the national delegation in Florida after winning medals at the Pan American Open. The athletes, aged 21 to 22, had been scheduled to compete in Montreal the following week but departed the team on Tuesday, according to Cuban independent media outlet 14ymedio. A day later, Cubalite reported that Charón had also withdrawn after completing his competition. Cardona and Curbelo each earned silver medals in the 78‑kilogram division. Curbelo defeated Poland’s Urszula Hofman and Dominican Republic’s Moira Morillo before losing the final to Venezuela’s Karen León. Cardona beat the United States’ Lydia Coleman and was defeated by Venezuela’s Elvismar Rodríguez in the gold‑medal match. Charón won the gold medal in the 60‑kilogram category, defeating Brazil’s Michel Augusto in the final. He had arrived in Florida as the reigning champion of the Central American and Caribbean Games. The judokas were part of Cuba’s national team and had previously earned international medals. Curbelo was the flag bearer for Cuba at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción 2025, where she won the country’s only gold in judo. In 2026 she earned bronze medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo and at the senior Pan American Championships in Panama City. Cardona also earned bronze at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games and had previously medaled at the 2024 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the 2025 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. Charón’s record includes bronze medals at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Calgary and the 2024 edition in Rio, silver at the 2025 Championships in Santiago, and gold at the 2026 Championships in Panama City, as well as a bronze at the 2025 Grand Slam in Tbilisi. The departures come amid a broader pattern of Cuban athletes defecting while abroad. The same day the judokas left, Olympic freestyle wrestler Yusneylis Guzmán López abandoned the Cuban delegation during a stop in Mexico. Guzmán, 30, was the first Cuban woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, taking silver in the 50‑kilogram event at the Paris 2024 Games. She had been traveling with the team to Brazil when she left the group in Mexico. Cuban coach Alain Fernández, who trains Cuban judokas in the United States, expressed concern over the losses. “How long will we keep losing athletes who have been trained in our system?” he asked. He cited Cuba’s economic, political and social challenges, the lack of resources, limited international exposure and professional opportunities as factors contributing to the defections. Since 2013, Cuban sports authorities acknowledge that more than 1,000 athletes have defected from national delegations. The trend has affected Cuba’s performance at international competitions. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Cuban athletes won 18 medals in total, but only nine were earned by the official Cuban delegation. The remaining nine medals were won by Cuban-born athletes competing for other countries, including one gold, four silvers and four bronzes. The official Cuban team consisted of 61 competitors across 16 sports, while 21 Cuban-born athletes represented other nations. The loss of Cardona, Curbelo and Charón, all of whom were considered promising prospects for future international events, further complicates Cuba’s plans for the upcoming Pan American Championships in Canada.
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