Cuban judoka Maricet Espinosa was a four-time national champion and a three-time runner-up. Espinosa made her international début for the national team in 2009 at the World Championships in Paris, competing in the half-middleweight class. She won three medals at the Pan American Games with gold in 2013 and 2014, along with silver in 2016. Also in 2016 she competed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics where she defeated Phupu Lamu Khatri before losing to the eventual bronze medallist Yarden Gerbi. Espinosa had success at multiple international tournaments, winning medals in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Italy, Japan, Panama, and the United States. She retired from the sport after finishing fifth at the 2017 Pan American Games. Espinosa later moved to Spain where she became a resident of the country. Sadly she was only 34-years-old when she died in January 2024 after suffering a heart attack following breast surgery.
Cuba