Collage: Prensa Latina

Havana, May 25 (JIT) - Six undines and five tritons will represent Cuba in the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023, scheduled for June 23 to July 8. 

Baracoa's Elisbet Gámez heads the group of girls, completed with the capital's Andrea Becali and Dainé Pedré, Espiritu's Lorena González, Villaclare's Laurent Estrada and Santiago's Daysi Ramírez.

The men's team is made up of Julio Calero from Espiritu, Rodolfo Falcón Mojarrieta, Fermín Rodríguez and Luciano González from Havana, and Marcos Rabí from Avila. 

The group is putting the final touches to its preparation at the Baragua Swimming Pool Complex with the aim of winning medals and signing an outstanding performance in the Salvadoran capital.

In Barranquilla 2018 the Cuban swimmers harvested a silver medal through Elisbet, in the 200 meters freestyle with 1:58.55 minutes, national record, and a bronze metal in the women's 4x200 free relay, behind Mexico and Colombia.

"Precisely on this occasion the real medal possibilities are for the women's team with the 4x100 and 4x200 free relays," Nelson García Fernández, national swimming commissioner, told JIT.

Elisbet, Andrea, Lorena and Laurent have made a strong preparation with a view to achieve a good result in the relays. It included a training base in high altitude conditions in Mexico, the presence in the open tournament in Santo Domingo and the phases of the Mare Nostrum circuit in Canet and Barcelona.

The rest of the athletes who were called up attended the competition in the Dominican Republic and the V Alba Games in Venezuela 2023. They obtained encouraging performances and not only because of the number of medals.

The presence of six women and five men in San Salvador 2023 allows them to participate in the mixed 4x100 combined and 4x100 free relays. In Barranquilla 2018, the Cuban mixed combined relay achieved fourth place.

The fulfillment of individual and collective goals has required months of sacrifices, will and dedication together with the technical team and the rest of the personnel directly linked to their preparation.