Omara Durand debuted at 15 years of age in the 2007 Para Pan American Games in Río de Janeiro. She surprised everyone with her gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 meters races, in the T-13 category for athletes with moderate visual impairment.
A legend was born. Her skill on the track made her undefeatable, while her success in two speed events plus a third long distance race requiring endurance is amazing.
Omara, wrestler Mijaín López, and judoka Idalys Ortiz, belong to an elite group that leaves no room for error. Seeing them in action, even when their victory seems assured, is a privilege and a joy. They are true reflections of the inclusion and human solidarity that characterizes the Revolution and sports in Cuba, where they are supported, beginning at an early age, to follow a path to glory recognized by their people.
It is again Omara’s hour, the captain of Cuba’s delegation to the Para Pan Americans in Lima, the “queen” of the event, as her teammates call her. And they are not wrong, since she arrived determined to take the title in the same three races she won in Toronto 2015 in the T-12 category.
The “gazelle” from Santiago de Cuba holds 11 continental titles in all, including Río 2007, Guadalajara 2011 (gold in the100 and 400 meters T-13), Toronto 2015, plus those won in Lima. She also dominated in three races in the Río de Janeiro 2016 Games; the 100 and 400 meters in London 2012, and won six World Championship titles.
A genuine product of the Revolution, she has thanked all those who contributed to her outstanding career in sports, dedicating her victories to her people and family, and leaving the track in Lima with a single assertion, “I am a Fidelista!”
