Andy Granda

Santa Clara, September 5 (JIT) - Cuba won two bronze medals on Sunday at the closing of the Oberwart 2022 European Judo Open in Austria. 

The first one went to the chest of Andy Granda (+100 kg), who in his first bout could not defeat the German Jonas Shreiber in golden rule, in which he suffered three shidos that favored the European by hansoku-make.

However, the Antillean recovered from his bad start and defeated the Romanian Mircea Croitrou in the repechage, who after dominating by waza-ari left him on the tatami by ippon.

The same dose was applied to the Slovenian Enej Marinic in the dispute for the bronze medal, which allowed him to reach the podium.

Nairelis Fuentes (-70 kg) won the other Cuban medal after defeating the representative of the Netherlands, Donja Vos, by hansoku-make.

Fuentes won by ippon to Switzerland's Alina Lengweiler in her first outing, but lost to Hungary's Szabina Gercsak by the same way. However, she took advantage of the repechage to advance to the medal discussion and there she knocked out Turkey's Minel Akdeniz.

Naomis Elizarde (+78 kg), after a good start against the Turkmenistan judoka Yyldyz Muradova, whom she defeated by ippon, lost to the French Romane Dicko.

In the repechage she faced the Croatian Helena Vucovic and defeated her by waza-ari, but could not defeat the also Croatian Tina Radic in the bronze medal discussion. She lost by ippon.

Yasel Baeza (-81 kg) won his first two bouts by ippon, but failed in the quarterfinals against Frenchman Nicolas Chilard. He also failed to advance in the repechage against the Hungarian Robert Rajkai, winner by waza-ari, leaving him with no chance of reaching the podium.

The same happened to Heriberto Rivero in -100 kg. After winning his first bout, he lost in the quarterfinals against Hungary's Krisztian Toht and in the repechage against Germany's Flak Petersilka, always by ippon.

With one gold, one silver and two bronze medals, the Cuban delegation came in sixth place among 37 countries. France won with three gold, three silver and one bronze.

Switzerland (2-1-0), Hungary (2-0-3), Georgia (2-0-2) and Turkmenistan with two gold medals, just one step above the Cuban delegation.