Cuba’s Top Athletes for 2011

HAVANA TIMES, Dec 27 — Discus thrower Yarelis Barrios (the Diamond League and Pan American Games titleholder) and boxer Julio Cesar La Cruz (the World and Guadalajara champion), were selected yesterday as the best Cuban athletes in 2011 in a ceremony held at the Ciudad Deportiva stadium in Havana.

In team sports, volleyball players Wilfredo Leon and Yoana Palace were winners, while the boxer Lazaro Alvarez was selected as “Rookie of the Year” and sprinter Yunidis Castillo led the list of competitors who are disabled.

Among the 10 most outstanding athletes were Mikhail Lopez (wrestling), Lazaro Borges, Dayron Robles and Leonel Suarez (athletics), Idalis Ortiz and Asley Gonzalez (judo), Hanser Garcia (swimming), Leinier Dominguez (chess), Lisandra Guerra (cycling ) and Rosbelis Despaigne (taekwondo).