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Driulis Gonzalez Morales, owner of respect accorded the title International Judo Federation (IJF).

Is anybody unsure about her fourth Olympic medal?

This Cuban judo star is the best expression of confidence and willingness on the long road to success that athletes from the largest Caribbean island nation are taking with them to Athens.

Those who have kept tabs on her career know that Driulis Gonzalez Morales –holder of all the titles doled out by the International Judo Federation- has what it takes to conquer a fourth Olympic medal in the upcoming world games in Athens.

Her brilliant career in Olympic Games kicked off in 1992 in Barcelona, where she won the bronze medal. The follow-up couldn’t be any better: the gold medal in Atlanta and the silver medal Sydney.

That sounds like a walk in the sun for someone who stands aloof from steelyards and training pads, even away from competitions in which Driulis has done remarkably well, with so much perseverance and dedication for so many years to try to keep the right weight and stay in shape for each and every tournament.

Right now, the situation is a tad tougher for her. Now she must juggle the exhausting training hours with her newest and biggest passion: her son Peter Javier. Pregnancy and maternity left her out of all judo competitions for two years (2001 and 2002).

She says, though, that her little son is the new thrusting force that’s driving her for much bigger accomplishments. And she wants to give him a new Olympic medal in Athens. And she knows she can go for the gold.

Another element that could put a hurdle on the way to her golden dream is the fact that Driulis is no longer competing in the 57 Kg division, in which she achieved the most awesome outcomes of her career in Central American and Pan Am Games, as well as in world tournaments.

Statements, anecdotes and more. Her climbing to the 63 Kg division pursues the objective of equaling or beating her own attainments. Driulis will soon be 31 years old and she’s walking steadfastly toward that goal. She won gold medals in the national championship and in the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo last year, and went silver in the 2003 World Cup in Japan’s Osaka.

Driulis has also fared well in recent European tours, in Super A and Class A tournaments, and has even been named the Most Valuable Athlete in many of those competitions.

She can grab her opponent’s kimono with a man’s grip and she has left many snags along the way. Driulis will call it a career after the Olympic Games in Athens. Some experts still recall her performances in Barcelona and Atlanta. In the 1992 Olympics, she was only 18 years old and won the bronze medal. Four years later, the gold medal glittered on her breast, even in spite of a neck-supporting pad she was forced to wear during most of the training sessions and before her fights.

Driulis had hurt the cervical portion of her neck and many thought she won’t be able to compete in Atlanta. Once the plaster cast was removed, her willingness and the medical attention she received shattered uncertainty about her future results in little pieces.

The Cuban judoka was the first to know that winning a medal in Atlanta was going to a tough deed, but not something she couldn’t do. Her upbeat mood meets the eye, and this recent statement speaks volumes of what she’s eager to do now: “I’m in for a good medal. Make no mistakes about it. My career must end with flying colors.”