Cuban native, now living in Kenosha, set to compete in first Olympics

When Maria Laborde was 11 years old, she started to compete in judo in her home country of Cuba.

Soon after, she was already competing in national tournaments. 

Now, more than 20 years later, she’s about to compete in her first Olympic Games for Team USA. 

Laborde, 33, said she had the chance to be in her first Olympics when she was living in Cuba. But she decided to move to the United States instead. 

“Now, I’m so happy I came, I have the opportunity to represent the U.S. (in) the Olympic Games,” Laborde said. “This will be my first Olympic games so I’m just happy, I can’t wait to get there (Paris).”

Laborde, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said her grandmother first introduced her to judo when she was living in Cuba.

“I was fighting all the time and my grandma said ‘Oh, we’ll have to do something with you because you have so much energy,’” Laborde said.

After working with a coach, she quickly learned that she enjoyed the sport, which is a form of Japanese martial arts.

“It’s something different than being in school all day,” she said.

She said she started to compete in national tournaments months after she learned the sport. 

“Right there, I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the sport for me,’” Laborde said. 

She was hooked. 

“I love it,” she said. “Judo teaches you all the values you need to know in order to be a good person.”

Laborde, who is currently ranked 11th in the world for her category, quickly rose in the ranks of the sport.

In 2013, she won team bronze at the 2013 Senior World Championships while representing Cuba, according to her Team USA biography. In 2014, she won a bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam. 

However, she decided to retire for a few years after those wins. 

“Then I decide(d) to move to the U.S., you know, to look for better life,” she said. 

After she got her U.S. citizenship in 2022, she decided to compete again, but this time for Team USA. 

“In 2023, Laborde made history as the first U.S. athlete to medal at the Masters Worlds since 2016 when she won silver,” her Team USA bio says. 

Laborde said she jumps around to different cities across the United States while helping teach others the sport. But when she first arrived in the U.S., she experienced some culture shock. 

“It’s different but it’s OK, I like it,” Laborde said about living in the United States. 

“It’s quiet, you know, Cuban people is really loud,” she said.

While living in Kenosha, she’s also had to get used to Wisconsin winters. 

“Wisconsin in the winter, it’s too cold all the time,” she said. 

But the summer?

“I love summertime, it’s my favorite,” Laborde said. 

Laborde will compete in the Olympics on July 27 in judo in the Women-48kg category.

“I feel good. I think I can get a medal if I really put my brain on it,” she said.

“Physically, I’m good. Mentally I’m good, so these days I think will be good,” she added. 

WPR is talking with Wisconsin’s athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Head to WPR’s special Olympic and Paralympic page to meet more of the competitors.