MAGDIEL-TOKIO

Havana, April 4 (PL) - The II Varadero Judo Open begins this Thursday with actions in seven categories, four female and three male, in a fight that will gather judoists from 9 countries and will award points in the ranking for Paris-2024.

Among the stars to watch on Thursday are Cuba's Maylin del Toro (63 kilograms) and Magdiel Estrada (73 kgs), winners of the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games.

Both are in the middle of the battle to reach the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, so the points they can add can help them improve their current positions.

The event will also mark the official retirement of Yalennis Castillo and Yanet Bermoy, both Olympic runners-up and Cuban judo glories.

The top three Cuban judo stars, Idalis Ortiz, Ivan Silva and Andy Granda, will not compete due to technical decision due to the proximity of other important events.