Nepal's Phupu Lamu Khatri (white) competes with Cuba's Maricet Espinosa during their women's -63kg judo contest match of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 9, 2016. ©TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez, Cuban Olympic judoka dies at 34 after reported breast enhancement surgery
Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez, a judoka from Cuba, died earlier this week at the age of 34.
The Cuban Sports University announced her death in a Facebook post, saying they were “in mourning” and in “great pain.”
“On behalf of our teachers, workers, and students we extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues,” the university said.
Reports say she underwent surgery on Jan. 21, the day the university posted about her death. Local media, via Judo Inside, say she underwent a breast enhancement, then suffered from complications and eventually a heart attack.
Gonzalez’s nickname was “La Mole” and a native of Arroyo Naranjo.
She participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and even won the Pan American Games in both 2013 and 2014.
Gonzalez competed in the 63kg category (139 pounds), having been a member of the Cuban national team for 10 years before retiring in 2017.
