The Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzmán López, Olympic runner-up in the 50 kilograms freestyle wrestling category at Paris 2024, reportedly left the national delegation during a stopover in Mexico while the team was en route to Brazil.
The information was initially shared on Facebook by Roly Dámaso, a former Cuban wrestler and sports commentator specialized in Greco-Roman wrestling, and was reported this Monday by the sports outlet Swing Completo.
“Sources inform me that he would have 'abandoned' the Cuba team and remained in Mexico during his transit to Brazil”, wrote Dámaso in a post on Facebook.
The former athlete claimed to have received information from three sources regarding Guzmán, known as "La Chiqui," allegedly deciding to remain in Mexican territory and separate from the Cuban delegation.
In his post, Dámaso referred to the conditions that lead Cuban athletes to seek opportunities outside the island and defended their right to make decisions about their professional careers.
The media Swing Completo reported on the information and noted the lack of confirmed details regarding the case.
So far, there has been no official confirmation from the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) or the Cuban wrestling federation regarding what happened.
There are also no public statements from the athlete that clarify the circumstances of her alleged departure.
Yusneylis Guzmán, a historical figure of the Cuban struggle
Guzmán, known as "La Chiqui," became the first Cuban woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, earning silver at the 2024 Paris Games.
In that competition, she defeated the Turkish Evin Demirhan by 7-6 and the Lithuanian Gabija Dilytė by 10-0. She later lost 0-5 in the semifinals to the Indian Vinesh Phogat, but advanced to the final after her opponent was disqualified for not meeting the required weight.
In the fight for gold, he lost 3-0 to the American Sarah Hildebrandt and secured a historic silver medal for Cuba.
His international career includes titles at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile 2023 and the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023, as well as silver medals in Veracruz 2014 and Lima 2019.
For her sports achievements, she was recognized as the best female athlete in Cuba for 2024.
In March 2025, INDER also presented him with a car in recognition of his performance.
Other Cuban athletes who separated from their delegations
The alleged abandonment by Guzmán comes to light after other cases of Cuban athletes who disassociated themselves from their delegations during competitions or international trips.
In October 2026, weightlifters Yeniuska Mirabal and Yorelvis Machado left the Cuban team's training camp in Tepic, Mexico, before participating in the Pan American weightlifting qualifier for Lima 2027.
In the very discipline of wrestling, Jaime Lobio Hernández separated from the Cuban delegation in Mexico in April 2025.
For now, it is unknown whether Guzmán is still in Mexico, what his situation is, and if he plans to continue his athletic career outside of Cuba.
Related videos:
Filed under: