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Cuba will be participating with 16 athletes in the upcoming Paralympic Games in Tokyo, scheduled for August 24 to September 5
Under the leadership of several-time champions Omara Durand and Lorenzo Pérez, Cuba gets 16 athletes ready for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, scheduled for August 24 to September 5.
Both sprinters will carry the Cuban flag on the opening day of the important sports event with the purpose of standing in the Japanese capital to ensure its place within the first 20 nations in the general medal table.
The Caribbean island will compete in Tokyo Paralympics in athletics, cycling, swimming, judo, shooting, weightlifting and table tennis; in a delegation including 12 athletes with experience in previous games under the five Olympic rings.
In the final stage of preparation, the 16 athletes plus the guide Yunior Kindelán will hold a training base in Dubai from August 8, to acclimatize on the way to their debut in the Japanese tournament.
Durand holds five Paralympic gold medals in her career on the track, after successes in the editions of London 2012 (100 and 400 meters T13) and Rio de Janeiro 2016 (100, 200 and 400 meters T12).
The Cuban runner also holds world records in 100 and 400 meters with a time of 11.40 and 51.77 seconds, respectively. For his part, the swimmer Pérez holds four medals at this level (1-gold, 1-silver and 2-bronze) with a highlight in 100 m freestyle in S6 category in the Brazilian city that included a Paralympics world record of 1: 04.70 minutes.
Five years ago in Rio, Cuban Paralympic sport finished 18th thanks to eight gold medals, one silver and six bronze, in the medal table by countries. China led with 107 gold.
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