Santo Domingo.– Leyanis Pérez fulfilled her duties as flag bearer and gifted the Cuban delegation a gold medal this Monday. While expected, the victory still thrilled the Cubans present at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, as well as the thousands who, despite the country's energy crisis, sought alternative ways to follow the performance of our newly crowned world champion.
On the first day of athletics, inside the stadium, Leyanis dominated the triple jump with a mark of 14.78 meters, followed by her fellow Pinar del Río native, Liadagmis Povea, who jumped 14.71 meters, her best of the year.
"It wasn't a competition of record-breaking marks, but I'm very happy with the result and with having fulfilled my responsibility of bringing home the gold medal for Cuba. I came with the flag and I return to my homeland with my duty accomplished." "Now this is just the beginning for us," said the Central American champion.
Athletics also gave us the sensational victory of Anisleidis Ochoa in the 5,000 meters. "The Polish woman," as her teammates call her, paced herself with tremendous skill to claim her first Central American and Caribbean title.
Cuba has shone in these games, driven by its wrestlers, who contributed a total of ten titles to the delegation. Judo was not far behind, with six crowns.
Women’s hockey gave us one of the most memorable performances, defeating Mexico for the gold medal in a penalty shootout. The Cuban women went through the tournament without conceding a goal and secured their place at the Pan American Games in Lima. Their male teammates will also be competing for the gold medal today.
Cuba closed out Monday with more than thirty gold medals and third place in the regional medal count. In the final stretch of the Games, the medal haul will continue to grow, with more awards in athletics, the start of weightlifting, canoeing, and the highly anticipated boxing finals.
The Island has delivered in Santo Domingo. Our athletes have overcome the hardships the Cuban people face today and continue to uphold the tradition and sporting excellence of a nation under siege that will surely prevail.
