Baseball
The current monarch, Ciego de Avila became the 1st classified to the 2nd stage of the 55th Cuban Baseball Classic team, whose calendar rests today, following the penultimate duels of the preliminary stage.
Ciego de Avila's Los Tigres did not dispute the recent 3 cpas before Pinar del Rio because of the rains on the western territory; however, the selections placed 9th to 11th in the Table cannot advance anymore.
So, just 6 dates for closing the qualifying calendar, Ciego de Avila shows record of 27 with 9, followed by Industriales with 25-14, to win 3x2 over Matanzas on the 2nd bilateral clash held at the capital's Latinoamericano Stadium.
Also won victories on Monday Granma, Holguín, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spiritus which excelled Las Tunas, Camaguey and Santiago de Cuba, respectively, while Artemisa beat the last-place owner Mayabeque 10x0.
Behind Ciego de Avila and Las Tunas are located Industriales (23-13), Pinar del Río (21-12), Granma (24-14), Havana (22-17), Matanzas (21-17) and Cienfuegos (19-17) while in the eliminated side are Guantanamo (19-18), Isla de la Juventud (19-19), Villa Clara (19-20), Sancti Spiritus (18-20), Santiago de Cuba (15-24 ), Camagüey (11-28), Artemisa (10-26) and Mayabeque (7-31).
After the break of this day, the duels among Artemisa-Pinar del Rio, Camaguey-Industriales, Mayabeque-Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila-Matanzas, Cienfuegos-Sancti Spiritus, Isla de la Jueventud-Las Tunas, Guantanamo-Granma and Holguin-Santiago de Cuba will start on Wednesday.
And another from baseball says that Cuba hopes to conquer the throne in next Premier 12 baseball tournament, confirmed today director of the selection, Victor Mesa.
In statements to weekly Trabajadores, Mesa reiterated that the primary objective is to arrive to the finals of the event scheduled from November 8 to 21 in China Taipei and Japan.
We have our objectives clear, arrive at Japan (third stage), discuss in semifinals and fight for the gold. It won't be an easy tournament because the teams are full of professionals and Asians have prepared themselves very well and their Leagues have just finished, he indicated.
In this sense, he regretted he can only hold two games in preparation before South Korea because the games among ourselves do not define much."
He also highlighted the speed of his team, but he admitted having very few base-stealers, which will force him to produce runs in the greater possible ways.
I try an alignment against left and another against right-hand pitchers, although all players have to be ready to face anyone, he explained.
Regarding the alignment, he only gave for sure his third base, Yuliesky Gourriel and the field player Alfredo Despaigne.
Of the rest, including opening pitchers, I prefer to wait, indicated the manager, who showed his satisfaction with the presence of 3 closers, Yunier Cano, Jose Angel Garcia and Hector Mendoza.
In the Premier 12, Cuba will debut on the 10th against Canada and will then face Holland, Puerto Rico, the host Taipei and Italy, with the target of ending among the first four places of that group A, to continue to quarter finals.
There they will meet first against fourth and third against second in a life or death challenge that would give winners the pass to semifinals.
Crossed duels between the first of a key and second of the other will define the finalists in the emblematic Japanese stadium Tokyo Dome, which would dispute the tital on the 21st in that same scenario.
Gymnastics
Four Cubans registered for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship compete from yesterday Monday through Friday at the Hydro Arena in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
For Cuba, those who participate in the lid are the Pan holders Manrique Larduet and Marcia Videoux, accompanied by Randy Lerú and Dovelis Elena Torres, directed by Carlos Gil and Yareimi Vazquez, in order to access automatic berths to Rio de Janeiro.
Cuba did not attend such events since 2003 and its only awards were gotten 2 years earlier in Ghent, Belgium, when Erick Lopez won silver in parallel bars, and Carlos Leon bronze in jumping horse.
Fencing
Cuban athletes Yamilka Rodriguez and Reynier Henriquez will compete in the World Fencing Championship to be held in Italy and Switzerland on October 23rd -25th.
The event, which grants points to Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, will be celebrated in Legnano, Italy —women category—, while men will be held in Berne, Switzerland.
The Cuban Yamilka Rodriguez who ranks 59th with 26 points to the Olympics, is only surpassed by the also Olympic candidates Canadian Leonora Mackinnon, with 30 points, and Venezuelan Eliana Lugo, with 26 points, in the Latin-American rank.
In case Yamilka Rodriguez did not reach the necessary points in previous events, she will join the rest of the team that will participate in the Pre-Olympic tournament to be held in April 2016.
The same occurs with Reynier Henriquez, 56th in the world ranking with 35 points, who is only currently surpassed by Canadian Maxime Brinck-Croteau with 44 points and American Benjamin Bratton with 38 points.
