WELLAND, Toronto.— The Cuban team stirred up the crystal like reflective waters of the Pan American Games canoe race course, securing four gold and one silver medal thus far in this competition which ends on July 14, with six finals.
Outstanding performances by Jorge García as part of the crew which won gold the in the K-4, 1000 meters, and this Monday filled its sacks with the precious metal in the K-1 and K-2 events, together with another of Cuba’s top male rowers, Reinier Torres. The Cubans came top in this discipline (4-3-2) superseding the Canadians (4-2-1) during the Guadalajara 2011 Games.
THREE BETTER THAN TWO
Jorge García the “old fox” – only 26 years old –stuck to his strategy in the K-1 to defeat Argentine Daniel Dal Bo, allowing him to take the lead form the outset, as is customary, but always remaining conscious of the distance, while maintaining a stable pace. At 250 meters – then in second place – Jorge set off like a rocket to “remind Dal Bo once again that he never had me, although I was thousands of a second off my London 2012 time.”
Minutes later the Argentine admitted that he tried to snatch the gold from García, who previously defeated him in Guadalajara, but “the truth is he is very strong, fights with great intensity and that’s how he wiped me out. I am happy for him, because we are good friends,” he noted.
After asking García if a second race (K-2, 1000 meters) the same day wasn’t too exhausting – and bearing in mind he won gold in the K-4, 1000 meters on Sunday – with a smile he stated that “some countries preserve their men so that they compete fresh in every event; I am the complete opposite, I get more heated if I compete intensely in the same day. What’s more they gave me an hour and a half recovery time for this third event, it was enough,” he noted.
Thus Tronoto saw a repetition of the same competitors on the podium for the K-1, with Jorge García (3:40.990) accompanied by Dal Bo (3:42.019) from Río de la Plata, Argentina, in second place, beaten by almost a whole length, while Canadian Adam Van Koerverden, 2011 world champion and London 2012 silver medalist secured third (3:43.055).
A DOUBLE BLOW
After recuperating from his previous effort, Jorge returned to the water accompanied by another of Cuba’s top rowers, Reinier Torres, winning gold with a time of 3:25.932 over a 1000 meter distance.
In the full sunshine, Torres explained that “the hardest part of the competition began at 250 meters,” given that his compañero, in the front of the boat, started to feel the effects of an intense morning, “at which point I increased the pace, and used more force to defeat the Argentines (3:27.240), who were pressuring us throughout the entire race.”
Another highlight of the morning was the C-1, 1000 meters where Rolexis Báez faced three high level international opponents and secured fourth place (4:20.164), a nonetheless meritorious result against competition leader, Brazilian Isaias Queiroz (4:07.886), an exceptional current world champion who competes despite lacking a kidney. Queiroz, Mark Oldershaw from Canada - silver medalist with a time of 4:09.587 and second in the Rowing World Cup held in Portugal this year - and Mexican José Cristóbal (4:14.572), 2009 world champion, emerged as insurmountable fortresses for Báez, who had been defeated by the Mexican in Guadalajara 2011.
Yusmari Mengana finished off the days events with a win in the K-1, 500 meters, where she dominated from the outset, maintaining her lead until the finish.
Besieged by the international press after winning her race, having not had a chance to rest, she dedicated her victory to her grandmother and mother, who have always supported her. “This is just the start for me, I still have two other finals, the 200 and 500 meters in which I am also going for gold.” So, that would mean two Cubans with three gold medals; her and Jorge García.
