Cuba off to strong start at Pan American
USA Today
Posted 8h 26m ago
MIAMI (AP) — Cuba's Driulis Gonzalez, Idalis Ortiz and Yurisel Laborde won gold medals Thursday in the women's competition in the Pan American Judo Championships.
Gonzalez topped the field in the 63-kilogram category, Laborde won at 78 kilograms and Ortiz took the gold medal at 78 kilograms-plus in the 22-country regional event that determines team spots in the Beijing Olympics. Individual berths will be set later.
"I'm proud for myself. I'm proud for Cuba, but mostly I'm just happy I did well," said Gonzalez, one of eight Cubans to medal.
Brazil also placed eight athletes in the medal rounds in all weight classes, with seven winning medals - including Mayra Aguiar in the women's 70-kilogram division.
Travis Stevens of Glenville, N.Y., earned the lone medal for the United States, losing to Brazil's Guilherme Luna in the 81-kilogram final.
Brazil's Eduardo Santos won at 90 kilograms, Canada's Keith Morgan topped the 100-kilogram field, and Brazil's Walter Santos won at 100 kilograms-plus.
A group of protesters gathered outside of the hotel as the preliminary rounds drew to a close. The group, a sect of anti-Castro Cuban exiles called Vigilia Mambisa, took issue with the inclusion of a Cuban delegation at the games.
Thursday marked the first time a Cuban judo team had competed on American soil since the 1996 U.S. Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Associated Press
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JG: Vigilia Mambisa is a very violent group of Miami right wingers. See the following Cuba Journal post: January 2007: Vigilia Mambisa violence CBS video
Posted 8h 26m ago
MIAMI (AP) — Cuba's Driulis Gonzalez, Idalis Ortiz and Yurisel Laborde won gold medals Thursday in the women's competition in the Pan American Judo Championships.
Gonzalez topped the field in the 63-kilogram category, Laborde won at 78 kilograms and Ortiz took the gold medal at 78 kilograms-plus in the 22-country regional event that determines team spots in the Beijing Olympics. Individual berths will be set later.
"I'm proud for myself. I'm proud for Cuba, but mostly I'm just happy I did well," said Gonzalez, one of eight Cubans to medal.
Brazil also placed eight athletes in the medal rounds in all weight classes, with seven winning medals - including Mayra Aguiar in the women's 70-kilogram division.
Travis Stevens of Glenville, N.Y., earned the lone medal for the United States, losing to Brazil's Guilherme Luna in the 81-kilogram final.
Brazil's Eduardo Santos won at 90 kilograms, Canada's Keith Morgan topped the 100-kilogram field, and Brazil's Walter Santos won at 100 kilograms-plus.
A group of protesters gathered outside of the hotel as the preliminary rounds drew to a close. The group, a sect of anti-Castro Cuban exiles called Vigilia Mambisa, took issue with the inclusion of a Cuban delegation at the games.
Thursday marked the first time a Cuban judo team had competed on American soil since the 1996 U.S. Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Associated Press
---
JG: Vigilia Mambisa is a very violent group of Miami right wingers. See the following Cuba Journal post: January 2007: Vigilia Mambisa violence CBS video
posted by Cuba Journal at 5/09/2008 07:17:00 AM
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