Young judoka María de Jesús Mora Escalante dies in Santiago de Cuba

July 13, 2024

The news of the death of María de Jesús Mora Escalante, a 16-year-old teenager from Santiago, this Wednesday, July 10, has brought mourning to Cuban sports and the people of Santiago de Cuba.

The young woman, who died from sudden cardiac death, had won a Gold Medal in women's judo at the 60th National School Games being held in the nation these days.

Through the facebook profile of the First Secretary of the Party in the province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, we learned that: "Yesterday, together with governor Manuel Falcón Hernández, we were able to express our condolences to her family; may they also reach her classmates from the School of Physical Education Teachers in Santiago de Cuba, and all the people who today mourn her passing.

"We did not have the opportunity to meet this CHAMPION; but it would have been a privilege because she was not only a warrior on the tatami, she also overcame many challenges in life, and in that the love and protection of her grandmother were decisive.

"María de Jesús is the pride of her people".