The Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Ángel Pacheco, weighing 130 kilograms, left a Cuban sports delegation in Croatia, as announced on Wednesday on social media by wrestling expert Roly Dámaso.
Pacheco was in the European country as part of the selected athletes to assist the Cuban athletes qualified in that sport for the 2024 Olympic Games, to be held in Paris this summer.
This month, the Cuban Greco-Roman wrestling team has been conducting a training camp in Croatia as part of the preparations leading up to the Olympic event.
Among the prominent figures participating in the gathering are Mijaín López himself (130 kg), Gabriel Rosillo (97 kg), Kevin de Armas (60 kg), Luis Orta (67 kg), and Yosvanys Peña (77 kg), all qualified for the event in the capital of France.
Along with Pacheco, they traveled with the aim of supporting these athletes in their training: Yoel Antomarchy (67 kg), Yonat David Véliz (67 kg), Julio Sablón (77 kg), Daniel Grégorich (87 kg), and Keldis Josef (130 kg).
It is planned for the Cuban group to travel to Hungary on June 6, followed by a stay in Bulgaria from June 21 to July 6.
Later, the delegation is expected to briefly return to Cuba from July 8th to 15th for a series of events leading up to the Olympics, including the flag-bearing ceremony for the Olympic and Paralympic delegation.
Pacheco, 26 years old and a native of Havana, was considered one of the great promises of his division in the country, although the brilliance of stars like Mijaín López and Oscar Pino proved to be an obstacle to his progression within the national team, as revealed by specialized sports media based outside the island, which have echoed his escape.
Ángel Pacheco's most outstanding achievements are a Pan American championship in Ottawa, Canada, in 2020, as well as a bronze medal in the 2019 edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Last year, they won gold at the V ALBA Games held in Venezuela.
Last year, at least three female wrestlers escaped from Cuba. They are Hengelen Llanes, Yoannia Pérez, and Liliana Duarte.
Pérez and Duarte escaped from a sports delegation during a layover in Mexico while on their way to El Salvador.
In the case of Hengelen Llanes, he escaped in Paris during a training session in preparation for the World Wrestling Championship in Belgrade.
In 2023, more than a hundred athletes left the country, consolidating the growing sports crisis in Cuba.
Until the closing of this note, the Cuban sports press has not confirmed the news of Angel Pacheco's escape.
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