14ymedio, Havana, May 24, 2023 — The Cuban regime still had not digested the escape in Spain of the members of the field hockey team, Yadira Miclín Galbán, Marianela López and Daylin Suárez Pérez, when journalist Francys Romero revealed on Tuesday the escape of three other athletes of the same specialty. “Lázaro Tolón, Yuri Brown and Yordanqui Méndez left “a training camp in Chile,” he reported on his social networks.
Up until then, the official media Jit, which was closely following the athletes led by Hilario Yera, had not reported any desertion. The president of the hockey federation, Alex Hernández, focused his comments on the seven games scheduled in Chile and on the level of preparation they will have for the Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023.
Francys Romero specified that the first abandonment was that of goalkeeper Lázaro Tolón. On “the second day of stay” in Chile he separated from the group that planned to participate in the camp from May 16 to 27. From this schedule, he inferred that the native of Sancti Spíritus was no longer part of the squad that debuted on May 19 with a victory of 4-3 over Manquehue in the Rudi Westendarp cup.
The day after Toulon’s escape, the absence of defender Yuri Brown was reported. The athlete from Havana did not show up for the roll call held by those responsible for the entourage.
While officialdom highlighted last Sunday the beating that Cuba gave by 11-0 to the Manquehue club team and the feat of the team getting, undefeated, the Rudi Westendarp cup, Yordanqui Méndez starred in the team’s third flight. With the escape from the native of Las Runas, there are already 15 dropouts of Cuban athletes this year.
On May 27, the Cuban team concludes its stay in Chile to continue its trip to Argentina where it will play three matches with host teams before returning to Havana.
The chain of escapes occurs while the Island faces a serious economic crisis, manifested by the lack of fuel, continuous blackouts and food shortages. Before those six hockey, rowers Maykol Julio Álvarez, Yoelvis Javier Hernández and Osvaldo Pérez escaped in the last week of April.
Álvarez deserted in Chile after winning with Carlos Ajete, Yoelvis Hernández and Reidy Cardona the silver medal in the four pair category and thus guaranteeing his ticket in the Pan American Games that will be held from October 20 to November 5. Hernández, a native of Sancti Spíritus, and Cardona, from Cienfuegos, took advantage of the stopover in Mexico to escape.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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