Havana, January 25 (RHC) - Cyclist Marlies Mejías arrived in Cuba in the last few hours from the United States, where she rides for a professional club, with the idea of participating in the Pan-American in April and securing a place for Paris-2024.

"It is difficult to qualify, there are few competitions left, but I will try to be in my third Olympic Games," said the 31-year-old cyclist to Radio Habana Cuba.

She declared herself very happy to return to Cuba after two years and reunite with her family and stroll around Havana with her four-year-old daughter Marieth, who traveled before her to Cuba.

Mejias is a member of Virginia 's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 women's team of 26 runners, including Olympic champion Jennifer Valente and world runner-up Sofia Arreola.

A two-time Olympic diploma winner (London-2012 and Rio-2016), the multi-time Central and Pan American champion became in 2018 the first Cuban cyclist residing on the island to ride for a professional club in the United States. Because of her quality she has signed year after year.

With Virginia, based in the city of Roanoke, she won 16 races last year, a performance for which she has earned multiple accolades, including that of manager Nicola Cranmer, who defines her as a "fierce rider" and says that some of her teammates call her "the legend".