Cuban Judoka Andy Granda Wins Gold in Super Heavyweight Division at Santo Domingo 2026

July 28, 2026

Cuban judoka Andy Santiago Granda Álvarez won gold in the men's over-100-kilogram division at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo on Monday, July 27, 2026, defeating Dominican judoka José Nova by ippon in the final.

Granda advanced through the bracket with wins by ippon over Guatemala's Diego Velázquez in the quarterfinals and Venezuela's Luis Amézquita in the semifinals before closing out the tournament against the host country's judoka. The gold was Cuba's second of the day in judo, coming shortly after teammate Iván Silva won his own title in a lighter weight division.

 Born February 4, 1992, in the city of Matanzas, Granda has been one of the most consistent figures in Cuban judo for close to a decade. He won gold in the +100 kg category at the 2022 World Judo Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and has twice been Pan American Games champion, in Lima 2019 and Santiago de Chile 2023, where he also won gold in the mixed team event. He previously won gold in the same weight class at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador.

Granda has also represented Cuba at two Olympic Games, competing in Tokyo 2020 and finishing fifth in Paris 2024, and remains one of the sport's leading heavyweights heading into the second half of the current Olympic cycle.