Oscar Cardenas (born August 11, 1982, in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n judoka, who played for the half-middleweight category. He is a two-time national judo champion, and also, a bronze medalist for his respective category at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cardenas qualified for the men's half-middleweight class (81 kg) at the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, after claiming a bronze medal at the Pan American Qualifying Tournament in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. He defeated Anthony Rodriguez of France, with a

waza-ari is the second highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon'' or ''waza-ari'' contest, usually judo, karate or jujutsu. ''Waza-ari'' in judo A ''waza-ari'' is the second highest score a fighter can achieve in judo, the ...

(half-score point), in the first preliminary match, but lost his next match a few hours later, to Portugal's João Neto, who automatically scored an

ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon-wazari'' contest, usually kendo, judo, karate or jujitsu. In Judo In Judo, an ippon may be scored for a throw, a pin, a choke or a jointlock. For throws, the four ...

at one minute and twenty-five seconds.

References

External links

*
NBC 2008 Olympics profile
Living people Olympic judoka for Cuba Judoka at the 2008 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Havana 1982 births Cuban male judoka Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in judo Judoka at the 2007 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games 20th-century Cuban people 21st-century Cuban people {{Cuba-judo-bio-stub