Yarisleidis Cirilo

Havana, May 12 (RHC) - Cubans Yarisleidys Cirilo and José Ramón Pelier dominated their semifinal heats and will go for gold medals in their respective disciplines at the sprint canoeing World Cup in Szeged, Hungary.

In the season-opening Cup, Cirilo, last year's world champion in the C-2 in Canada, won her semifinal heat of the C-1 to 200 with 48.17 seconds, the best time of all competitors.

The best athlete of last year in Cuba and Olympic finalist in Tokyo-2020 was clearly ahead of the second place winner, Spain's Antia Jacome (48.71) and will be looking for the gold medal this Friday.

Among her opponents in the final will be Jacome, China's Lin Wenjun and Canada's Katie Vincent.

A native of the province of Guantánamo (far east of Cuba), Cirilo did not have the same luck in the C-2 500 meters, where she finished fifth in a duet with the debutant Mailienys Calderón. With a time of 2.04.39, the Cubans will be in the B final.

Meanwhile, Pelier, also an Olympic finalist in Tokyo-2020 and medalist in several World Cups, dominated his semifinal in the C-1 1000 m with 4.01.21 minutes, ahead of Canadian Coonor Fiztpatrick (4.04.25). He is one of the candidates for the gold medal.

The other Cubans who competed this Friday could not be included in the A finals in search of medals. Calderon was sixth in her semifinal in the C1 200m, in the K1 500m Yurieni Herrera also placed sixth in her semifinal and in the K1 1000m Robert Benitez was third. All three will be in the B finals in those modalities.

Only Olympic champion Serguey Torres and his teammate in the C2 500m, Tabiani Diéguez, have yet to make their debuts. Serguei will also be in the C1 5000 m.