The Cuban delegation at Paris 2024 experienced an extremely quiet Sunday, with negative results in each of its presentations, although the most notable occurred in boxing with the swift departure of flag bearer Julio César la Cruz.
In the 92 kilograms, "La Sombra," double Olympic champion, lost by a split decision of 2-3 (29-28, 30-27, 28-29, 28-29, and 28-29) to his compatriot Loren Berto Alfonso, representative of Azerbaijan.
The setback of the boxer, a five-time world champion, is a severe blow for the Caribbean delegation on French soil, as it was predicted to win gold by the country's sports authorities.
During the early morning on the island, rower Yariulvis Cobas finished third in the women's single scull repechage, with a time of 8:10.64 minutes, which means she did not advance to the quarterfinals and will be in semifinals E or F, according to the digital site JIT.
In sports shooting, Lisbet Hernández also said goodbye in the 10-meter air rifle event, scoring 624.7 points and finishing in 36th place among the 44 participating women.
However, he achieved the best total of his career, according to the official portal Cubadebate.
And the swimmer Andrea Becali also finished out of the event 200 meters freestyle, after placing last in her qualifying heat with a time of 2:03.38. She ended up in 21st place among 31 swimmers.
Likewise, table tennis player Andy Pereira could do little against the Brazilian Hugo Calderano, who is sixth in the world ranking.
In his third Olympic experience after London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016, the Habanero Pereira was swept 0-4 by the South American, who aims to place among the best in the event.
Cubans under other flags
In addition to the mentioned success of Loren Berto Alfonso in the 92 kilos, there was also the favorable outcome for Enmanuel Reyes (Spain) in the same division, after winning by split decision (4-1) against the Chinese Han Xuezhen.
"The Prophet," as many call him, progressed through the rounds without too many setbacks in search of the medal that eluded him at Tokyo 2020.
Although the Asian was quite motivated from an offensive standpoint, the one born in Havana showcased excellent evasion, quick movements to counterattack, and precise strikes to his opponent's upper body.
While the fencer Neisser Loyola made his Olympic debut representing Belgium.
The swordsman had a strong competition and "walked" to the quarterfinals before falling.
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