Cuba concluded its participation this Sunday in the 47th World Judo Championship in Baku with a 4-0 defeat against Turkey in the mixed team tournament, thus completing one of the poorest performances in recent years in this type of competition: zero medals and only two victories out of 13 matches contested between the individual and team phases, according to the official site Cubadebate.
The result marked the third consecutive World Championship without a podium for the island—following Doha 2023 and Budapest 2025—the worst streak since that recorded after Essen 1987, according to the competition's dossier.
Iván Felipe Silva, in the 100 kg category, was the only Cuban judoka to achieve two victories before being defeated in the round of 16 by the Japanese Dota Arai, the runner-up in the division. The veteran, who had won the world silver medal in this same Azerbaijani city eight years ago, finished in ninth place and earned 320 points for the Olympic ranking, which is his main goal in this cycle.
The rest of the team performed well below expectations. Five judokas were eliminated in the first round: Jonathan Charón (60 kg), Orlando Polanco (66 kg), Lian Benavides (57 kg), Maylín del Toro (63 kg), and Lianet Cardona (78 kg). Dayanara Curbelo was eliminated in the round of 16 in the over 78 kg category by the French competitor Romane Ficko.
The official journalist Joel García, in his analysis published by Cubadebate, pointed out several factors behind the failure: "The decline in international participation over the last 24 months and the technical shortcomings of our team; although this time arriving at the competition venue with just over 24 hours before stepping onto the mat had an impact, as well as preparing beforehand amidst power outages, issues with food, transportation, among others."
These conditions were compounded by the absence of Andy Granda (+100 kg), regarded as the team's leading medal prospect, who did not travel to Baku due to recovering from an injury. Furthermore, according to the analysis published by the official media outlet, Cuba's participation in the World Championship was only made possible through funding from the International Judo Federation.
A note arrived from the 52 kg category, where the Cuban Ayumi Leiva Sánchez won the bronze representing Spain. The judoka emigrated and became a Spanish citizen. García acknowledged that this victory "was nurtured and shaped in Cuba," although it also illustrates the cost of the exodus of athletes for Cuban sports: at least 12 judokas emigrated between 2022 and 2024, weakening the national team’s succession.
Japan dominated the medal table at the Baku World Championship with eight golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. Georgia finished in second place, while Azerbaijan, as the host, achieved its best-ever tally with seven medals. The American continent, as a whole, did not secure any podium finishes.
Looking to the future, Cuba enters this stage with only four spots secured for the Pan American Games and the pressure of the Los Angeles Olympic Games on the horizon. The next World Judo Championship will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, in June 2027, where García expressed hope for "at least one shout for medals, because this Cuban silence in a discipline where we remain historically fifth in the number of golds does not please anyone."
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