Ronaldo Veitía Keeps Making History in the Cuban Judo

Professor Ronaldo Veitía Valdivié, Master in Sciences and Eighth Dan, keeps making history despite his official retirement from high-yield Judo in 2016, this time with his book Estela Rodríguez Villanueva, the ebony of Cuban female judo.

A just recognition to Estela, 50 years old, born in the municipality of Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba province, and example for new generations, not just of sport.

The heavyweight from Santiago de Cuba has won Olympic silver medals in Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, in + 72 kg –at present + 78 -, and gold, silver and bronze in the open division in the World Championships of Belgrade 1989, Barcelona 1991 and Chiba 1995, respectively.

She also shows gold medals in the Pan-American Games of Havana 1991 (+72 and open), a silver medal (open) and another bronze medal (+72) in Indianapolis 1987, and so many others in continental championships and Central American and the Caribbean Games.

She is no doubt, a glory of Cuban judo that cannot fall into oblivion, Veitía highlighted in the recent presentation of the book, at the Training Center Cerro Pelado, of the capital.

Although he is no longer who trains or coaches on and outside judo mats the Cuban women team, as he did for 30 years, Veiti or the teacher, at present 70 years old - October 22^nd, 1947 -, walks one of his new facets, writing what his pupils achieved.

This constitutes the fifth book of his fruitful career as an author, the Estela book was preceded by The Female Judo, Best team of the World; Driulis González, the Legend of Judo; Cuban Stars, The Bounty of Women Judo and Cuban School of Female Judo.

The next launching of another book is close, nothing but his autobiography: Ronaldo Veitía, Ippon of Stories, and in writing, La Lupe of Tatamis, about Yurisleidis Lupetey, and Thoughts Beyond Sports.

But amid his love for keystrokes, he finds time and shows passion for his unquestionable quality as coach, which he shares with the training of the new generations of his native land Santa María del Rosario, in the municipality of Cotorro, the Project Spring.

Veitia once told the Cuban News Agency that he considered springtime as the most beautiful and flowered season of the year. Who can deny that children comprise these two qualities.

He also said that “I am always in debt with children, because they are who taught me the most in my professional career. If I had not worked with boys and girls I wouldn’t have had the beautiful vision of life and pedagogy with which I have worked many years at the Initiation School of Sports (EIDE for its acronym in Spanish) Martires de Barbados.”

Life proved him right, since coaching the women team Las Marianas, as he prefers to name them, he accumulated five golden medals, 10 silver medals and 10 bronze medals in the Olympic Games.

It is abundant the medals in world competitions senior (16-14-27), junior (8-0-6), by teams (1-3-3), university championships (6-4-8) and cadets (1-0-0). On top of that we must include the medals won in continental championships (95-19-17) and Pan-American Games (41-5-10), in that order, and many others in Central American and the Caribbean Games (91-12-12).

We must add that from 1988 up to 2015, many of his pupils occupied positions among the best sportsmen of the year, with positions among the best 10 athletes.

Cubasi Translation Staff / Amilkal Labañino Valdés