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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Top Cuban athlete still missing Monday

Top Cuban athlete still missing Monday
By Sarah Larimer | The Associated Press
7:50 AM EDT, May 13, 2008

Miami - The Cuban national judo team returned home Monday without one of
its stars, whose weekend disappearance fueled speculation that she is
defecting.

Yurisel Laborde, a two-time world champion and 2004 Olympic bronze
medalist, was not with the team Monday when its flight left Miami
International Airport. She has not been seen since disappearing Sunday
after competing in the Pan American Judo Championships.

The Cuban team checked in for their flight lugging new mountain bikes,
televisions, espresso machines and other purchases made during their
historic stay in Miami-- it was the first time in 40 years that a Cuban
Olympic team in any sport had competed in this city, a hotbed of anti-
Fidel Castro sentiment.

As she waited for a bike to be wrapped in plastic, tournament gold
medalist Idalys Ortiz said was proud of her team's performance. Like her
teammates, Ortiz declined to talk about Laborde, who had won a gold
medal in the competition's 78-kilograms division.

``Of that, I don't know anything,'' Ortiz said.

Coach Ronaldo Veitia Valdivie said he trusted Laborde, whom he had
trained since she was 12. He said he had worked hard to enable her to
compete in Miami, since she was already qualified for the this summer's
Beijing Olympics.

``She wasn't thinking it through. You know how youth is,'' he said.

Veitia said Laborde's apparent defection would be a great blow to her
mother. As he sat among trophies the team collected at the competition,
Veitia criticized the U.S. media for focusing on the apparent defection.

``You are giving more importance to one deception than all of the
accomplishments of all of the Cuban team,'' he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Zachary Mann said Laborde
had not contacted his agency. He said she might reach out to social
service groups, churches or an attorney before contacting authorities. A
message left with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was not
immediately returned.

``There's so many things, you can't really speculate what she is or
isn't doing,'' Mann said.

In March, seven Cuban soccer players defected at the Olympic qualifying
tournament in Tampa. Cuba called the act ``dishonorable'' and a ``low
blow.''

Laborde left a note with her teammates, but its contents were not known,
Team USA President Jose Rodriguez said.

``It was never shown to me by the Cuban delegation,'' Rodriguez said.

Laborde won her gold medal Thursday --the same day protesters
demonstrated against the inclusion of a Cuban delegation at the meet.

There were rumors of possible defections at the competition a day before
Laborde went missing. The Cuban team opted to rest rather than compete
Saturday in preparation for the next day's events. The team's absence
Saturday morning fueled speculation, but members were spotted in the
stands during the afternoon.

If Laborde did defect, she would not be able to compete on the American
team in the Beijing, Rodriguez said. He said Laborde faced a lengthy
immigration process and that would not be complete by the games.

``First and foremost, to be on the Olympic team, you have to be an
American citizen,''

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-0513cubajudo,0,2400850.story

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