Strong Cuban judo team arrives in Athens

World champion Amarilys Savon and Olympic champion and runner-up Driulis Gonzalez are leading the Cuban judo squad that has arrived here to compete in the Olympics starting next Friday, Prensa Latina news agency reports. The seven-member judo team travelled to Athens from Rome, where they had established a training base.

Savon, considered the world's best judoka in 2003, said Thursday she wanted to win the Olympic gold medal before retiring.

The outstanding 48 kg female took the bronze at 1996 Olympics at Atlanta and also at the Sydney Games in 2000.

During 2003, she was invincible and recorded 63 victories in the 52 kg division, and became world champion in Osaka, Japan.

Another prominent Caribbean judoka is Driulys Gonzalez (63 kg), champion at Atlanta and runner up at Sydney.

She also won the World Cup in Birmingham in 1999. Today she is considered the favourite to win the forthcoming Olympic showdown.

Yamila Zambrano (48 kg), Yurisleidys Lupetey (57 kg), winner of the World Cup in Munich in 2001, and silver medallist at Osaka in 2003, Anaisis Hernandez (70 kg) and Yurisley Laborde (78 kg) complete the island's national selection.

According to experts, Yordanis Arencibia (66 kg), Gabriel Arteaga (81 kg) and Yosvani (90 kg) have the greatest chances of winning a medal.

Cuban judoka have won 20 medals, including five gold, seven silver and eight bronze, in the history of the Olympic Games.

The women's team reached the Olympic pinnacle in Sydney 2000, when it won two gold medals -- Legna Verdecia (52 kg) and Sibelis Veranes (70 kg) -- and two silvers -- Savon (70 kg) and Daima Beltran (78 kg).