Iván Felipe Silva Claims Silver in the 100 kg at the 2026 Pan American Senior Judo Championship

April 20, 2026

Cuban judoka Iván Felipe Silva Morales won the silver medal in the 100-kilogram category during the Sunday session of the 2026 Pan American Senior Judo Championship, held in Panama City from April 18 to 20. The Matanzas native defeated two rivals before falling to Brazil's Leonardo Goncalves in the gold-medal final, earning 560 ranking points toward the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.

Silva advanced through victories over Dominican Republic's Oscar Santana and Colombia's Francisco Balanta on his road to the final, where Goncalves prevailed to take the top prize. Despite the loss in the final, Silva's performance reinforces his standing as one of the most complete heavyweight judokas in the Americas. Cuba concluded the individual tournament in second place in the medal standings, with two golds, one silver, and two bronzes, trailing only Brazil.

With five Pan American Championship titles (2014–2024), a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships in Baku, and multiple Pan American Games medals, Iván Felipe Silva continues to build a legacy as one of the finest judokas in recent Cuban sporting history. The 2026 Pan American Senior Judo Championship wraps up Monday with a mixed-team event in which Cuba will also compete for additional medals.