After so much sailing and going against the current many times, the Cuban men's volleyball team shipwrecked against Poland (0-3) in their last duel of the Nations League and bid farewell to the possibility of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In Ljubljana, Slovenia, coach Jesús Cruz's team was forced to win to put pressure on Serbia, their rival in the Olympic race, but they lost in straight sets with scores of 17-25, 22-25, and 20-25.
In the aforementioned match, the Europeans surpassed the Antilleans in attack (41-31) and blocks (8-3). Furthermore, they made fewer unforced errors (23-19) and received a great contribution from the Cuban naturalized Polish player Wilfredo León, considered the best player on the planet.
León was the top scorer of the match, with 16 points (14 in attack and two in service), supported by veteran captain Bortosz Kurek (11/10-1-0), while Miguel Ángel López (9/7-1-1), Michael Sánchez (7/7-0-0), and Roberlandy Simón (7/4-2-1) stood out for the losing team.
The failure of the Cubans automatically granted passage to Serbia, although a few hours later the Balkans also fell to Slovenia in a match extended to five sets.
Just minutes after the challenge ended, the star Simón, one of the key players of the team despite his 37 years, used his profile on the social network Instagram to bid farewell to all his teammates.
The post in question meant a step to the side, after not being able to secure the ticket for the appointment with the five rings: "Thank you for everything guys. I love you all and keep fighting," said the central player, author of 92 points in the competition.
Thus, Cuba adds another cycle without the presence of one of its team sports in the top multi-sport event, although it will have the beach volleyball duo of Noslén Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo.
Until now, the teams that have secured their places for Paris 2024 are: France, as the host and defending champion; Germany, Brazil, Japan, United States, Poland, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Argentina, and Serbia.
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