Born in Cuba, Maria enjoyed significant international success before moving to the USA, including a barnstorming 2014 season that saw her claim an IJF Grand Prix gold medal in Havana, a Pan Am Championships gold and a world championships bronze.
The ensuing years were quiet as Maria handled relocation to the USA; but, having gained citizenship in 2022, she quickly proved that she remained a force with which to be reckoned, within one year becoming the second-highest ranked US judoka in the world rankings. At that year’s IJF Grand Prix in Perth, she secured a gold medal, to which she added a bronze at the Pan Am Championships. The following year, 2023, brought a silver medal at the World Masters’ Championship in Budapest and bronze medals at the Pan Am Championships and Pan Am Games.
That momentum has continued into this Olympic year, with Maria claiming a bronze medal at the Pan Am Championships in Rio de Janeiro, and with her sights on more hardware at her first Olympic Games.
Paris Result:
Eliminated in Round of 16.