Wrestling News: Cuban wrestling, in its two modalities, freestyle and Greco-Roman, will close out 2020 with tournaments for its top athletes, if the coronavirus health emergency allows.
Cuban wrestling, in its two modalities, freestyle and Greco-Roman, will close out 2020 with tournaments for its top athletes, if the coronavirus health emergency allows.
Luis de la Portilla, national commissioner for the discipline, in a statement on Cubavisión Internacional, reported that November 8-18, the National Championship will take place in Santiago de Cuba.
He clarified that, on this occasion, the competition will focus on the Olympic divisions, featuring bouts between the best wrestlers in each province and members of the current pre-selection Olympic team, without inter-provincial match-ups, as is customary.
He announced that the world event is scheduled to take place in Belgrade, Serbia, December 12-20, in addition to world juvenile and Sub-23 competitions in Serbia and Finland, respectively.
He recalled that Cuba has secured 12 spots in the Tokyo Olympics, including a complete Greco-Roman team, led by veteran champion Mijaín López.
The final qualifying event will be held in the Bulgarian city of Sofia, at the end of March, next year, and De la Portilla noted that three more Cuban wrestlers, Milaymis de la Caridad Marín, Reineris Andreu and Yurieski Torreblanca, have a good chance of landing a spot in Tokyo.
The commissioner insisted, “Cuban athletes are engaged in rigorous, demanding training programs, looking to arrive at these high level competitions in the best possible condition,” reporting that, as of August 15, the pre-selection Olympic team has gathered at the Cerro Pelado High Performance Training School, to re-initiated preparation as a group. (Sports news staff)
