In early April, a Cuban wrestling team of just over 10 members will depart for the United States. It will be the first flight of a total of three during 2015. Perhaps the most in one calendar year in history.
Crossing the Florida Strait is not by chance. Continuous sweat and perpetual effort is latent in this adventure. Months before they had to grab and hold it hard to have those visas in their possession.
The exponents of this style finished fourth in the world championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 2014, an achievement that led to its classification for the Team World Cup in Los Angeles, to be held on April 11 and 12. It will be an event where the great powers of the discipline will shake hands before they will clash on the mattress.
Cubans are traveling with suitcases full of aspirations and ambitions. And that is not hidden by the head coach of this modality, Julio Mendieta, who, as solicitous as always did not hesitate to make clear that the struggle is with the Americans.
The Cubans, anchored in group A, also have as companions Mongolia (sixth in the Worlds) and Russia (first). And with the latter, forget it. Their quality is somewhat above in a tournament that qualifies directly to the leaders of each pool to the final, while the second discusses the bronze with its counterpart from the group B.
The seasoned coach and watched the cache of our northern neighbors in the Cerro Pelado International Tournament, where his boys were defeated in almost all the “caps” and simply a former gymnastic athlete, Reineris Salas, could with an acrobatic jump- double mortal –dodge the wall and get to the center in the center of the podium.
He reached only a title, before his audience with the delirium of his people, did not worry Mendieta, knowing that his group only added a few weeks of training and they looked at the event with futuristic eyes.
However, something that also ensures the glamour will be part of the delegation. Mentioning in the same list five planetary medalists doesn’t mean child’s play or anything easy to digest for the opponents.
Led by Reineris Salas (86 kg), twice runner-up at meetings of the world, and Livan Lopez (74), and Olympic bronze, join the group world’s third Javier Cortina (97) and Yowlis Bonne, who now compete at 57 kilos to suit the Olympic category.
Rounding out the roster are Maikel Perez (61) and Andy Moreno (70), the latter number three on Baku-2007, Franklyn Marén (65) and Eduardo Mesa (125).
Mendieta did not hesitate the hand to make changes from its previous disquisitions. He left at home Alejandro “Calabaza” Valdés, former first figure of 65, since they must “work with the youngster from the capital from the psychological point of view, after its defeat in the final of the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz before the Puerto Rican Franklyn Gómez, “he said.
The possibilities, he hinted, are collectively reaching the podium. The daily work is directed toward that goal, although an arduous task, which is the precursor of equally momentous commitments is looming. One of them, the principal of the sports movement on the island during this period, the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, from July 10 to 26.
Two and three: round trip
The World Cup in Los Angeles is the first stop on US soil. A bilateral match in May in New York and the World of Las Vegas, from September 7 to 12, will also change the view to the north.
According to information supplied by Eduardo Pérez Téllez, national commissioner, in the dual meet friendly in the Big Apple is expected the presence of a number of Olympic divisions: 57, 65, 74, 86, 97 and 125 kg among men; 48, 55, 60 and 69 for women, and representatives of 66 and 85 in the classical style.
According to the official, this match will help in the preparation towards the Canadian continental competition and will be a way to attract sports fans in both nations, as it will include several athletes inserted into the universal elite.
In addition, he said, it will be a further step towards achieving the accurate modeling to address competitive tournament in the “Sin City”, where the goal is, first, go with full team if the economic situation allows it- and two , equal or surpass what was achieved in Tashkent, something extremely complex if you stick to the existing parity today.
So, the picture is seen cumbersome, from the competitive point of view, but nice, with respect to international friction. A year full of dreams, struggles, labor and insurance exalted feelings that touch our doors in this long journey of nearly six months. As a result, there is no doubt that tackles and imbalances come by the bushel from above and at four points.
