Struggle Author: Taken from Jeet
There are athletes who do not need world or Olympic medals or memorabilia to earn a place in the major chapters in the history of the Cuban sports movement. I say this because when you hear Yaquelin Esthornell Elizastegui talk about her sports career, the first thing that comes to mind is that athletes like her should be in the pages of honor, even if they can’t boast podiums of the highest level.
The Guantánamo woman has two main virtues besides talent, perseverance and discipline, virtues that played a decisive role in her becoming one of the few Cubans who took part in three national preselections in various sports: judo, wrestling and boxing. for this order. Astornell understands that not everyone can achieve this, and he thanks him for his determination and perseverance in training.
From what he says rebellious youth, in judo she became the champion of the country more than once, but she never competed abroad. A few times wrestling allowed it, and in some of those tournaments she finished in the top three. Second place at the Pan American (Toronto 2015) and Central American and Caribbean Games (Veracruz 2014), five times continental competition medalist in her discipline (two golds, one silver and three bronzes) and other awards make her one of the most experienced Antillean wrestlers, winners of all time.
It is the dream of any athlete to make his debut outside of his country with a scepter, and it was Guantanamo’s credit during the Pan American Championships in Panama City in 2013, which also helped him to compete in his only World Championship held in Budapest, Hungary.
After almost youAfter ten years in the Cuban team in 2020, they officially retired. Never
She was far from the sport because she soon joined her province’s EIDE as a wrestling teacher, until one day she was asked about the possibility of boxing, and as she still felt fit and had enough will to resume the life of an athlete. He entered the Guantanamo Academy.
“Boxing is a discipline that has nothing to do with judo and wrestling. It requires a lot of hand-foot coordination and a lot of shifting to give two examples,” explains Asthornell, who joined the group held in Havana a few months ago, from which the national finalists emerged.
The Guazo native earned her promotion after defeating Elvira Gonzalez of the RSC in the 75kg division during a poster qualifier held last November in the capital. The protagonist of this success, which may seem trivial, is a woman who at that time took part in combat for the first time.
and that he has been in the boxing world for less than a year.
“It seems that my physical preparation gives me the strength to set new goals for myself. If I am selected, I expect to win first place at the Alba Games, in Venezuela, and at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador. As for what you asked me about, it’s true that women’s boxing had to deal with prejudice, but I see it as another normal sport for women, just like wrestling, another strong discipline that I also did. – says the mother of little Alex.
Yakelin, the most veteran of the boxing group, with 38 calendars, doesn’t give much thought to her age when she says that one of the reasons she returned to the active sport was the fight for a world medal, which was elusive for her in her career. days as a fighter.
Source: Juventud Rebelde
