Cuba is about to make its seventh appearance in the Paralympic Games since its debut 24 years ago during the Barcelona 1992 edition. The new challenge appears on the horizon of Brazil's Marvelous City, Río de Janeiro, which beginning September 7, will welcome over 4,000 athletes in a celebration par excellence of sports for people with disabilities.
The Cuban delegation to the Río features 23 competitors (17 men and six women), including sprinter Yunidis Castillo, five-times Paralympic Champion from Beijing 2008 to London 2012, as well as fellow sprinter Omara Durand, double Paralympic gold medalist and multi-world champion, also the island's standard bearer of the Games.
These two outstanding athletes will lead the island's delegation in Río, where Cuban competitors will once again hope to win numerous track and field medals, just as they have done in previous editions of the competition, which has seen the island's delegation secure a total of 57 medals, 25 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze, to date.
In addition to Yunidis and Omara, several athletes will be looking to prove that they can match their previous successes in other competitions. This is the case for Leonardo Díaz, undisputed king of the discus during the last two Paraylmpic tournaments, and young sprinter Leinier Savón, who after an impressive performance in the Parapan American Games in Toronto 2015 and Doha World Championships now faces the greatest challenge of his career.
Athletics aside, Judo - in which Cuba has won five Paralympic gold medals - will be a sport to watch, with London 2012 champions Dalidaivis Rodríguez (63 kg) and Jorge Hierrezuelo (90kg) set to compete. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Pérez Escalona, will be aiming to secure the island's first medal in a swimming event and surpass or better his London 2012 performance, where he won silver and bronze medals.
The main goal of the small delegation is to maintain a high level of efficiency, secure the greatest number of medals possible and equal or surpass its gold medal count from London (nine), although equaling its overall result in the 2012 Games (17 medals) and the island's highest ever position, ranked 15 among participating countries, could prove difficult.
Cuba's results from previous editions: Barcelona’ 92 (gold: 3-silver: 3-bronze: 3- total: 9- place: 34); Atlanta’96 (8-3-0-11- 23); Sydney’00 (4-2-2-8-34); Athens’04 (2-2-7-11- 43); Beijing’08 (5-3-6-14-23); London’12 (9-5-3-17-15); Overall (31-18-21-70- 350)
