The Cuban weightlifting team has been working, for about four years now, to recover the stellar heights that made this sport the center of attention at the Central American, Pan American, Olympic Games and the World level.
Despite the ravages of COVID-19 which limited the number of international events in 2020, the national pre-selection team has continued training, at the Cerro Pelado High Performance School, and in the homes of all members.
The competitive calendar for 2021 offers Cuban weightlifters the opportunity to attend several tournaments where points will be awarded to gain qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. But everything will depend on the epidemiological situation in cities hosting the events.
In the short term, the team is looking to the Colombia Open and the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. The first is scheduled March 12- 9, and a month later, the continental championship will take place April 18-25 in the Dominican Republic.
This last tournament will mark the closing of qualification for the Tokyo Games in the Americas, hence the group of seven pre-selection athletes will continue intense training at the Cerro Pelado.
World bronze medalist Ludia Montero (49 kg) and Rome World Cup titleholder Olfides Sáez (96 kg) lead the group of young athletes seeking Olympic qualification. These two are in the best position to make the grade, given their international results.
But Otto Oñate and Asley Calderón in the 61 kg; Juan Colombié (109); the experienced Marina Rodríguez (64); and the young Melisa Aguilera in (76) all have a chance, as well.
Sending three representatives to Tokyo would be a first step toward returning to the level Cuban weightlifters once reached, a reflection of the good work done by the coaching staff in recent years, and would lay the basis for a strategy to consolidate a superior performance in the next Olympic cycle, with special emphasis on competition in the Americas.
