Cubans Lázaro Tolón and Yunia Milanés, a couple in life and both members of the national hockey teams, escaped from delegations attending sports events in Chile last year and can now talk about their life in that country.
This couple narrated their experiences to the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, where they talked about practicing sports in Cuba, their escape from the sporting events they attended, and the life they lead in Chile.
Lázaro Tolón, from Sancti Spíritus, left the Cuban delegation that traveled to Chile for a preparation meeting in preparation for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador. He did so before his teammates Yuri Brown, from Havana, and Yordanqui Méndez, from Las Tunas, also left the team at that event.
The national team goalkeeper, Tolón, told La Tercera that he left the team on May 19th, after one final training session and lunch.
Fifteen minutes before the break ended, the athlete told his coach that he would go to the club's reception to connect to the wifi and talk to his family. He walked decisively towards the door and once there, he decided to run," the mentioned media outlet reports.
"When I arrived in Chile, what struck me the most were the facilities, the courts, that all the guys at 18 come to train in their own car and then return home without any problem. That kind of thing still shocks me to this day," said the man from Sancti Spiritus.
On the other hand, Yunia Milanés, Tolón's girlfriend, escaped from the Cuban delegation at the Pan American Games in Santiago.
"I had already planned what I was going to do from Cuba... I left everything, everything, everything," said Yunia, who was serving as the captain of the national team.
On the day of her escape, Tolón, wearing a hood, was waiting for her outside the hotel. When he saw her, he ran towards her. That day, the couple reunited after six months apart.
Both of them have currently resumed their lives in professions that have taken them away from their usual sport. However, a light seems to be shining to get back on the path of hockey.
According to La Tercera, the two players approached Diego Amoroso, coach of the Chilean national hockey team and head coach of the Universidad Católica team, who saw them play and noticed their quality.
"Lázaro seems to me a person with a lot of ambition, with a lot of clarity and maturity about what he came to look for, and that was one of the things I liked most about him. His level is really surprising in the position where he plays, as a goalkeeper," said Amoroso.
However, his level deserves a greater conviction from the coach. "I believe that sports-wise, he has all the tools to play for the Chilean national team, but I think it is very difficult to defend colors other than those of his country of birth. It is a very difficult decision for any athlete," he stated.
The first hockey match played by Tolón, almost a year after his arrival in Chile, took place on April 2, 2024. There, his team defeated Club Manquehue. "That feeling is priceless," he defined.
Currently, Lázaro Tolón and Yunia Milanés live in a commune (municipality) in the Chilean capital called Estación Central. There, along with two other hockey players who escaped with them, they share an apartment (Lismaris Gonzales and Yordankis Méndez). They have all requested refuge from the Chilean government and are awaiting a response. However, they know that these processes are lengthy, as confirmed by La Tercera.
Meanwhile, they continue with their life projects, among which they hold on to practicing sports and family reunification.
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