Cuban judoka Sheyla Hernández won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the over 70 kilograms category.
The 23-year-old from Holguín lost to the Brazilian Rebeca de Souza, who has now avenged the defeat inflicted by the Cuban in the final of the Parapan American Games in Santiago de Chile last year.
"We had four matchups with two victories for each, and this time it was her turn; we have to accept that luck smiled on her and enjoy the medal," said Sheyla to the specialized magazine JIT.
"Either way, it's a Paralympic medal and that's extraordinary, but I came to win and I'm not completely satisfied," she specified.
Hernández lost the fight in the final seconds when the South American was able to immobilize her and score a waza-ari.
Previously, she had defeated the Australian Taylor Gosens and the Chinese Hongyu Wang.
"We proposed to push the rivals from the beginning as a tactic and it worked for us, except in the final where it didn't go as we had planned," he explained.
Sheyla, who was the runner-up in the Ibsa Judo World Championship in Baku 2022, Azerbaijan, has a severe visual impairment and is a member of ANCI.
This is Cuba's third silver medal at the Paris event, adding to five golds and one bronze. This places it in 25th position by country.
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