Ana Laura Portuondo was born in Matanzas, Cuba, but has lived in Canada since she was three years old. Her training as a judoka took place in the country that welcomed her, a different story from the rest of the athletes from the island who represent other nations in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Her journey on the mats has not been easy. The narrative, although it is written and read quickly, has been extremely complex: she went from a rising promise to being sanctioned for doping; then she stopped training for more than five years and returned in search of making her Olympic dream a reality.
Within that mix of situations, Ana Laura suffered greatly from the sanction of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). "It is frustrating to know that this inhaled salbutamol, as I use it, has no effect on performance, but since it was a banned substance by WADA, I was sanctioned for two years, which meant I could not participate in the 2016 Olympic Games," she recently said in an interview with Cubanet.
It is worth noting that the young woman has been asthmatic since she was little; however, that argument remained unanswered. "I was suspended for two years and stripped of all types of funding. I couldn’t train with the team, I couldn’t enter any recognized national center, and that was the hardest part," she recalled in the conversation.
Shortly after, the AMA changed its rules and the medication was removed from the banned list.
Portuondo returned in 2017, but a concussion once again set her back on the path to success. It was several years away from competitions and the adrenaline, from doing what she knew and loved. Only a family request encouraged her to give it another try.
"My sister convinced me to give it one more try," she told the magazine El Estornudo, and the comeback was spectacular, as in January 2024 she won the National Championship of Canada and qualified shortly after in a continental tournament.
Thus, on August 2nd, in the first segments of over 78 kilograms of women's judo at the current Olympic Games, Portuondo will face the Nicaraguan Izayana Marenco. The goal will be to reach the podium; she feels that she has the talent, and somehow, life must reward her fortitude and rebellion despite the bitter experiences.
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