Follow Us
Cuba’s first participation in the Olympics dates back to 1900. In its long history of sending athletes to the games, Cuba has participated in 20 of 28 Summer Olympic Games overall. Cuban athletes have won a total of 226 medals at the Summer Olympics. These include 78 gold, 68 silver, and 80 bronze.
Cuban athletes never participated in the Winter Olympic Games. It is also trivial to note that it is the most Olympic team (by total medals won) among countries who never participated in Winter Olympics.
Cuba won a gold medal in its first Olympics at the 1900 Games in Paris. Fencer Ramon Fonst, won at the men’s individual epee. He was also able to defend his title in the 1904 Games. He also claimed gold medals in the men’s individual foil. Fonst also competed at the 1924 Games, but did not win a medal.
Between 1924 and 1960, Cuba won just one Olympic medal. The country won silver in sailing at the 1948 Games in London. The next medal came in1972– a gold medal, with three boxers claiming Olympic titles in Munich. Since then Cuba has performed well in the boxing ring, claiming a total of 37 gold medals to date, second only to the United States of America.
Cuba has also won a total of 11 gold medals. Cuba’s most recent gold medal in athletics came at the 2008 Games in Beijing, where Dayron Robles won the men’s 110m hurdles.
Cuba has won more gold medals in baseball than any other nation in the Olympic Games. The Cuban baseball team has won gold at three of the five Olympic Games. However, the love Cubans had for baseball had faded over the years due to the country’s poor performance. It was the start of each Olympic delegation after winning gold in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Athens in 2004, as well as silver in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, the last time the sport was included in the Games until now.
The Cuban delegation of 69 athletes from 14 disciplines will be led by Greco-Roman wrestler Mijain Lopez. He is a three-time gold medal winner in the 130 kg category, his fourth successive Olympic gold. Boxers Julio Cesar La Cruz (91 kgs) and Arlen Lopez (81 kgs) are aiming for their second Gold each.
Cuban boxers won three gold medals and three bronze in Rio 2016. The seven fighters cumulatively hold six world titles and include three Olympians: Roniel Iglesias (2012), La Cruz (2016) and Arlen López (2016).
Cuban athletics has Yaime Perez in the discus event and long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarria among others. The latter reached 8.39 meters in Spain last week, his best in the current season.
The Cubans will also be watching their compatriots with good odds of winning medals in judo, shooting, taekwondo and boating.
