In addition, 62 Cubans who remain with the State will participate in the Olympics.
14ymedio, Havana, 13 July 2024 — Twenty-one Cuban athletes who have emigrated will participate – with flags from other countries or on the refugee team – in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will begin on July 26. Among the flags that the athletes from the Island will show are those of Spain, the United States, Chile, Portugal, Canada, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Belgium, Poland, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Turkey and Italy. Of the emigrants, three hope for gold in athletics.
Triple jumper Pedro Pichardo – who left his delegation in the German city of Stuttgart – will play for Portugal, for which he won gold in Tokyo 2020 with a record jump of 17.98 meters. Triple jumper Jordan Díaz Fortún, who “deserted” in 2021 in Spain, will play with the red flag and carry with him the prestige of having achieved the third best mark in history, with a triple jump of 17.98 meters. Finally, Andy Díaz, who achieved a jump of 17.61 meters in the Copernicus Cup and has not played for Cuba since 2021, will represent Italy.
There will be three emigrant boxers. Javier Ibáñez, who left Cuba in 2018, will enter the 57-kilogram category for Bulgaria. Last May he was crowned European champion by the International Boxing Association, and won the silver medal at the 2024 European Championship and the gold medal at the 2023 European Games.
Enmanuel Reyes (“The Prophet”) traveled to Spain in 2016 and plays for that country for the second time in the Olympics. After a defeat against his compatriot Julio César La Cruz in Tokyo, he told the Olympics portal that “my goal is to win the gold medal in Paris 2024.” Loren Berto Alfonso, who has won medals for Azerbaijan since 2019, won the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020. The boxer arrives at the Parisian event with bronze in the European Championship in Belgrade (2024) and silver in the World Championship in Uzbekistan (2023).
Yulenmis Aguilar will compete in javelin throwing. She won a gold medal at the beginning of July in Spain and was champion in 2015 and 2017. She received h