Wrestling
Wrestlers from the U.S. and Cuba will compete in a dual meet in Times Square later this month --a preview of top contenders for the 2016 Olympic Games and the first time since the longtime rivals will be on the mat against each other since the thawing in political relations began late last year.
The May 21st event, announced by Beat the Streets, Inc. and USA Wrestling, is being called “Salsa In the Square,” and is the 2015 edition of Beat the Streets’ annual international wrestling festival. It marks the first New York City appearance by the Cuban National Wrestling team since the 2003 World Championships were held at the Garden.
The event will help raise funds for Beat the Streets, a nonprofit group that seeks to provide city children with a healthy pastime and strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling.
Pentathlon
Modern pentathlon has been one of the less constant sport disciplines in the history Pan-American Games. It made its debut in the first edition of the Games, held in Buenos Aires in 1951, but it wasn’t included in the program between 1967 and 1983. The sport was back in the Indianapolis edition of the Games; although it was taken out of the official schedule in 1991 and 1995. Since Winnipeg, in 1999, this discipline finally strengthened its position.
Modern pentathlon is undoubtedly one of the most complete sport disciplines, as the athletes are to compete, in the same day, in fencing, swimming, horseback riding, racing and shooting.
Cuba took its first modern pentathlon competitors to Santo Domingo Pan-American Games, in 2003. Four years later, the country won the only medal in this discipline, when Yaniel Velazquez got the silver in Rio de Janeiro. In Toronto Pan-American Games, Cuba is going to compete with 4 athletes (two men and two women) and the goal of both coaches and athletes is to fight for at least one medal, thus obtaining Olympic tickets.
The Pan-American Road Cycling Championships Leon-2015 began on Thursday in that Mexican city where teams from 16 countries from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Uruguay and the host Mexico, will discuss continental titles.
The lid, called for women and men, will end on May 10th when the individual route champion and Pan-American crowns of the U-23 will be defined.
The purpose is also to score points for the world ranking, and being part of the list that defines the qualification for the Olympics Rio de Janeiro-2016.
