Cuba: Yanet Bermoy Wins First Medal for Cuba in London Olympics

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

Cuban judoka, Yanet Bermoy [es] has won the first medal for Cuba in the London 2012 Olympics. Bermoy competed in the 52 kg category and won a silver medal in the final after defeating her North Korean opponent, An Kum Ae by yuko. In the semifinal bout of the Olympic tournament, the Cuban had beaten her Belgian opponent, Ilse Heylen. In an article featuring on the Cubadebate [es] website, Jhonah Díaz González comments:

El sorteo no había resultado benévolo con la cubanita, a pesar de quedar bien en la ronda inicial. Eso, porque le tocó debutar con una prueba harto exigente contra la representante de Mongolia, Bundmaa Munkhbaatar, segunda del ranking olímpico.

It hadn't looked good for the Cuban when the draw took place despite performing well in the first round. In this first round, Bermoy faced a difficult contest against the Mongolian judoka, Bundmaa Munkhbaatar who ranks second in the world.

Bermoy's performance has also been discussed by various members of Facebook who have also congratulated the Cuban athlete. Reidel Castellano [es] says:

Este es un gran ejemplo de buena disciplina. ¡Qué viva por ser una de las grandes y de las primeras, que su nombre esté siempre en lo más alto del podio!

This is a fine example of strong discipline. Let's hope you continue to remain one of the best and finest in your sport and that you always stand tall on the top of the winners’ podium.

Below is an interview with Yanet Bermoy [es]:

Leny María comments [es], “We watched Bermoy. She didn't win gold but she earned a deserving silver medal.” Another Cuban judoka, Dayaris Mestre, was disqualified in the early stages of the 48 kilogram category against her Romanian opponent, Alina Dumitru. The controversial decision sparked heated debates on the Internet. Mestre of the Cuban News Agency [es] claims:

Estoy sufriendo la peor pesadilla de mi vida, pues me preparé bien y sobre el colchón demostré todo el tiempo que fui superior. En el inicio del pleito realicé una proyección, la cual me daría ventaja y ninguno de los árbitros la apreció.

This is the worst nightmare of my life. I trained hard and continually proved to be the better judoka on the mat. At the beginning of the bout, I pulled off a move which gave me the advantage yet none of the judges seemed to note this.

According to her coach, Cuban Rolando Veitia, the judges’ decision “was something unusual as she made an initial move and then grabbed her opponent's led as a secondary action.”

Firoma, a columnist with Cubadebate [es] claims, “Dayaris was in with a real chance” but despite her talent, the judges ruled that move she performed was not allowed on the judo mat. Opinion polls [es] appearing in the Cuban press anticipate medals being secured by the country's athletes in boxing and athletics with possible medals also being won in wrestling and judo. Cuba has 110 athletes competing in 14 different events in the London 2012 Olympics.

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.