Cuba's men's and women's judo teams will be in action starting tomorrow in the judo tournament of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, a multidisciplinary event that officially opens tonight.

According to the Games' official schedule, preliminary and final matches for the women's 48 kg, 52 kg, and 57 kg categories, as well as the men's 60 kg and 66 kg categories, are set for Saturday. On Sunday, competitors in the women's 63 kg and 70 kg divisions and the men's 73 kg and 81 kg divisions will take to the tatami at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center Judo Pavilion.

On Monday, the scheduled weight categories are 78 kg and +78 kg for women, and 90 kg, 100 kg, and +100 kg for men. The mixed team event will take place on Tuesday. This schedule is expected to be finalized during the technical meeting, where the matchups for each division will also be determined.

Among the selected Cuban athletes, several hold prominent positions in the world rankings (WR), notably young Jonathan Charón, who occupies 15th place in the 60 kg category according to the latest list update.

Other notable athletes include Iván Felipe Silva (100 kg), ranked 20th; Andy Granda (+100 kg), ranked 23rd; and Orlando Polanco (66 kg), ranked 29th. Among the women, Maylín del Toro (63 kg) stands at 40th, Dayanara Curbelo (+78 kg) at 41st, and Lianet Cardona (78 kg) at 43rd.

Other members of the men's team are further down the world ranking list: Naysdel Cardoso (90 kg) at 125th, Marlón Herrera (73 kg) at 193rd, and Rubén Darío Romero (81 kg) at 440th.

The women's roster is completed by Lian Benavides (57 kg) at 80th, Anisleydis Ur López (70 kg) at 113th, and Yainet Coronado (48 kg) at 236th.

As part of their preparation, the team competed in several events, including two qualifiers for Santo Domingo: the Central American and Caribbean Cups in Panama and Guatemala. Cuba secured a total of 24 medals—11 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze (6-4-1 and 5-4-4, respectively).

Top performers included Andy Granda in the +100 kg category with two titles, Orlando Polanco (66 kg / 2-0-0), and Daili Sentmanat Despaigne (52 kg / 2-0-0). They were followed by Maylín del Toro (63 kg / 1-1-0), Jonathan Charón (60 kg / 1-0-1), Marlon Herrera (73 kg / 1-0-1), Dayanara Curbelo (+78 kg / 1-0-1), and Anisleidys Ur López (70 kg / 1-0-1).

Also contributing to the medal tally were Iván Felipe Silva (100 kg / 0-2-0), Nayddel Cardoso (90 kg / 0-2-0), Lianet Cardona (78 kg / 0-2-0), Yainet Coronado (48 kg / 0-1-0), and Rubén Romero (81 kg / 0-0-1).

With these results, Cuba qualified its complete men's team and six out of seven women's divisions. Although the 57 kg division initially lacked a ticket, qualification was ultimately secured.

Prior to these events, the top-ranked Cubans in the Central American regional ranking were Granda, Charón, Polanco, Maylín, and Daili, all in third place.

Dayanara and Herrera were ranked fourth, while Lianet held fifth, and Cardoso (90 kg) was in sixth, alongside Amado Montes de Oca in eighth in the same division.

Silva was positioned seventh, as was Anisleydis. Lianet ranked eighth, Romero ninth, and Lían Benavides (57 kg) 15th, despite several athletes from other countries—including hosts—ranking above her.

The Cuban judokas participated in only two of the five qualifying tournaments.