Athletics and wrestling with several exponents among the best youth athletes of 2021

Havana, February 5 (RHC)-- Several exponents of athletics and wrestling were selected among Cuba's most outstanding youth athletes in the past year 2021, with a highlight for shot putter Juan Carley Vázquez, who shared the award for best male athlete.

Those chosen, announced Friday at a press conference held in the auditorium of the Sports City Coliseum, in this capital, stood out for their performances at world level and in the First Pan American Junior Games held in Cali, Colombia, last December.

For example, Vázquez won the title in his event at the World Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, held in August, and won the bronze medal at the continental multisport event.

Also in athletics, Yiselena Ballar, javelin thrower, and sprinter Shainer Reginfo made the list of the top 10.

In the case of Ballar, she won the silver medal in Cali and the bronze medal in the universal competition, while Reginfo took third place on the podium in the 100-meter dash.

Never before had a runner from the island finished in one of the first three places in the hectometer in this type of competition, so this performance can be described as historic.

Among the gladiators, Jeisser Sampson, in the Greco-Roman style, and Milaymis de la Caridad Marín, in the freestyle, stood out with their crowns on Colombian soil, winning with class in their divisions and showing that they are an important part of the future in this combat sport.

Meanwhile, the historic results of the canoeing duo, formed by Yarisleidis Cirilo and Katherin Nuevo, deserved recognition as the success of the year for their results at the World Senior Championships held in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they became the first Cubans to win medals at this level.

Nuevo was also named Cuba's Best Junior Athlete in 2021, closing a year full of successes for this sport.