Cuban Judoka Andy Granda Falls Short of Olympic Bronze in Paris

Cuban judoka Andy Granda failed to secure a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, narrowly missing out on bronze in the men's +100 kg category. The 2022 Tashkent World Champion lost in the bronze medal match to Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov, ranked number 3 in the world, through a Waza-ari, according to olympics.com.

At 32 years old, Granda bids farewell to the opportunity to earn his first Olympic medal. Ranked number 5 in the world, Granda began his journey at Paris 2024 with an ippon victory over Monaco's Marvin Gadeau in the round of 16. However, in the quarterfinals, he fell to Japan's Saito Tatsuru by a Waza-ari, which sent him to the repechage round.

In the repechage, Granda secured an ippon victory against Ushangi Kokauri of Azerbaijan, earning the chance to fight for the bronze. Despite his defeat in the bronze match, Granda has shown significant improvement compared to his performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he finished 17th in the same category.

Granda has had an illustrious career in international judo. In 2022, he won the gold medal at the World Judo Championships in Tashkent, marking a major milestone in his career. Additionally, in 2023, he secured a bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Tashkent. At the World Judo Championships in Doha 2023, Granda added to Cuba's medal tally with another podium finish. His consistency and success led to his nomination as Judoka of the Year by the International Judo Federation in 2023.

So far, the Cuban delegation at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been underwhelming. Currently, Cuba has only secured a bronze medal with boxer Erislandy Álvarez, who has the potential to improve his standing if he wins his next match.