Cuba reigned in Handball’s Emerging Nations Tournament

Finally, Cuba could take revenge from the previous edition of the tournament and clinched the title of the Bulgaria 2023 Handball World Championship of Emerging Nations. This way, the lost to Georgia in 2019 remained in the past.

In fact, the Caribbean nation became the first non-European country to win the gold medal in this tournament.

In all fairness, after defeating the host nation in semifinals, the game for the title looked easier. The opponent was one between the Cyprus team or the Indian team, two nations without outstanding results and whose level was really inferior to that of Cubans or Bulgarians.

The semifinalist clash saw the most offensive team of this level-two tournament against the team with best defense. Bulgaria conceded only 37 goals in their first two games, an average of 18.5 per game, but Cuba boasted the best attack of the competition, with 59 goals. The superiority of the Caribbean offense was again shown on the scoreboard with the final 36-29.

In the game for the gold medal, the Cuban team swept Cyprus 28-18 without major complications, after enduring a somewhat nervous start, as happened against the home team.

Undoubtedly, from the individual point of view, the best player for Cuba was left-back Hanser Miguel Rodríguez, who was the MVP of the tournament, boosted by his 23 goals (third among the main scorers) and his emotional drive within from the field.

Obviously his time in the Portuguese Handball League has made him grow as a player, after having shown credentials in the last Emerging Nations tournament, where he scored 27 times.

Lidier Vergara also won the best defender award, and although captain Magnol Suárez could not repeat the award for best goalkeeper in 2019, his saves were key at clutch moments.

Next stop for this generation of athletes under coach Jover Hernández is to get back to a World Championship after 15 years. And it is actually very likely.

We cannot ignore the importance of having Cuban athletes hired in foreign leagues, as what Hanser Michel, Ronaldo Almeida, Víctor Manuel Sandoval and Cristopher Selles learned in Portugal, and Magnol and Franco Cordies in Spain, has translated into notable growth of the game level of our team.

This result should be seen as a starting point to the definitive return of our male handball team to the world elite.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff