Baseball
The preliminary phase of the 55th Cuban National Baseball Series ended without revealing many details regarding the 2nd ranked group as the Table was more complicated than the day before; however, the removal of Sancti Spiritus (22-23), Villa Clara (22-23), Cienfuegos (19-23), Santiago de Cuba (15-30), Artemisa (12-30), Mayabeque (11-33) and Camaguey (11-34) teams was officially announced.

Football
With all their athletes available, Cuba's and Costa Rica's Sub-17 years-old soccer teams today play their 1st agreed friendly cap of 2, to be played at Havana's Pedro Marrero National Stadium.

Boxing
In the eastern province of Camaguey, neighbors, relatives and friends of Julio Cesar La Cruz, triple world boxing champ, gathered to welcome him back to his hometown and recognize his stellar performance in Doha during the World Boxing Championship held recently in Qatar.

Known as The Shadow, the leader of the 81 kilograms, proclaimed as the Best Athlete of the International Boxing Association 2015, thanked everyone for the warm welcome and said he was fit, but training daily with a view to the national Playa Giron Boxing Tournament to be played in December.

Recently, Camaguey also recognized the young Johanys Argilagos, world title at 49 kg. and Leinier Peró, Pan-American champion this year in Toronto, who failed to get a medal in Doha in over 91 kg., because of questionable arbitration.

Chess
The Cuban GM Lázaro Bruzón integrates the Latin-American avant-garde sextet playing at the Chess Championship with a stage at the Elysium Grounds Theater of Bilbao, Spain, where he won twice today.

Bruzón (2659 Elo) beat host Ana Matnadze (2353) in the morning session and then repeated the dose against the local David Astasio (2424) to stay on top in 3 outings.

The Caribbean, 3rd-seeded in playoffs, is followed by the Peruvian GM Julio Granda (2667), installed on top after defeating the Spaniards Sergio Trigo (2362) and Orelvis Perez (2457), in that order.

As 3rd and 4th locals Salvador Rio (2512) and Francisco Vallejo (2684) appear, 5th is the Brazilian Alexandr Fier (2624), while the last one is Colombian GM Martin Martinez (2402) with 3 points.

The other Cuban among the 93 contestants is Lelys Martinez (2470), but his passage was diminished after agreeing to peace with the Salvadoran GM Carlos Burgos (2253) to drop to 11th place with 2.5 units.

The Paraguayan GM Axel Bachman (2593), defending champion, is now in 8th place with 2.5 units after agreeing to peace with the Chilean GM Daniel Barria (2413) in the afternoon.

Cuban Female Pole Vaulter Yarisley Silva Heads Prensa Latina Poll

Cuban female pole vaulter Yarisley Silva is now heading the list of the Best Female Athlete of the Year for the sports poll of Cuba's news agency PRENSA LATINA, choosing the best athletes of the year in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Silva, pole vault record holder at the World Championship in Beijing and two-time Pan American Champion, is taking the votes by Cuban radio station Radio Progreso, French Radio France International and the French newspaper Le Marseillese.
Behind Silva, is Colombian cyclist Mariana Pajón, the queen of the World Cup and at the top of the world's BMX events (1,620 points), who had the vote of the Venezuelan-based television network Telesur, first press media to vote this year.

Somewhat less simple is the voting for the Best Male Athlete of the Year, exhibiting a tie between the Cuban boxer Julio Cesar la Cruz, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, each with one vote.

Radio Progreso favored the Cuban fighter, triple monarch of the world (81 kg), who turned to be this year the best fighter in the AIBA-2015 in recognition of his performance in the Pan American Games in Toronto and excellent contribution in the 5th World Series of Boxing.

Meanwhile, Messi, from the Spanish pro-team Barcelona, who got the Award for Best Player of the Football Association European Union for the second time in his life, was favored by Radio France International.

Telesur went on its vote in favor of Bolt, the winner of a golden hat-trick in Beijing, the third of his career and owner of eleven gold medals in global events.
In the selection for the Five Most Outstanding Athletes, Colombian female triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen appears in the forefront, as leader of her specialty, gold medal in China, and the Pan American Games in Toronto, with two votes (Telesur and Radio Progreso).

Behind, with one vote, Cuban boxer Lazaro Alvarez, world monarch for the third time in Doha, Qatar; Bolt, Pajón and Cuban discus thrower Denia Caballero, global and continental champion (Radio Progreso).

In addition, there are Julio Cesar la Cruz, Messi, Venezuelan MLB baseball star Miguel Cabrera, first baseman of the Detroit Tigers, best hitter in the American League; and Jose Altuve, second baseman team for the Houston Astros (Telesur).
The soccer team of Chile (Radio France International); its Venezuelan counterpart in male basketball (Telesur), the male 4X100 relay team representing Jamaica (La Marseillaise) and the Cuban boxing squad, champion in Doha, Qatar, (Radio Progreso) lead the selection for Best Team of the Year, each with one vote.

The Jamaican female 4x100m relay highlights in being chosen as the Best Female Team with the vote of Radio France International.

Cuban Record Holder Returns to World Podium after Maternity Leave

Cuban multiple Paralympics record holder, Yunidis Castillo, enjoys her return to the universal podium after winning two silver medals in the Athletics World Championships for athletes with a physical disability, but expects more of herself.

After two years away from the track due to maternity leave, Castillo is gradually recovering her extra-class shape,has already regained her ideal weight (50 kilograms) and is working on the physical and psychological aspect to recover her throne.

She finished 2nd in the long jump category T-47 (upper limb amputee) and in 400 meters, a race that she still poses multiple challenges in the curve, step width, and arm movement.

Charismatic and a competitive racer, Castillo accompanied South African Anrune Liebeberg, whose winning record of 56.65 seconds is still far from the world record of 55.72 set by the Cuban athlete in London-2012.

This time, the multiple Paralympics record holder timed 59.79 seconds, because although her snatch is well, she does not yet feel as explosive as she can be, and works on improving technical details, work capacity, and rhythm.

Castillo will take part in the 200 T-47 eliminations, seeking more medals to strengthen Cuba in the general classification, where she is 9th with 4 titles and 2 silvers.