Havana, August 25 (RHC) - Cuba's Yarisleidis Cirilo won her semifinal heat on Friday and also qualified for the final of the C1 200m at the World Canoeing Championships in Duisburg, Germany.

Cuba's best athlete in 2022 was the only one of those who rowed in her semifinal heat to go under 46 seconds (45.049 sec), the best time among all those who advanced to Saturday's final. A tough fight for the throne is expected in the final, along with China's Lin Wenjun (45.546) and Canada's Jensen (45.510), winners of the other semi-final heats.

The 21-year-old athlete is also qualified for the grand final of the C2 500m, also on Saturday, a modality in which she had her first duet in Duisburg, having as partner the 17-year-old Yinnoli Lopez, with whom she has been rowing for only two months.

The Cuban has managed to be included in the world championship, a qualifier for Paris-2024, in the two events in which she entered (C1 200 and C2 500).

In recent years, the canoeist has won many medals in the international context, paired with the also newcomer Katerine Nuevo (currently suspended for indiscipline).

Last year at the Dartmouth World Cup (Canada), the Cirilo-Nuevo duo made history by winning the first title for Cuban women's canoeing at the world championships, in the C2 200m.

A year earlier, they had become the first Cuban boat to reach an Olympic final in Tokyo 2020 and in the Copenhagen World Cup they won the first medal in the history of that sport for women on the island, bronze in the C2 500m.

Also this Friday, Javier Requeiro competed for Cuba in the C1 500m, but finished eighth in his semifinal heat and could not qualify for the final.