San Salvador Games

Havana, July 6 (RHC) - Cuba won eight titles in the most recent edition of the San Salvador Central Caribbean Games, but Colombia widened its lead in second place in the medal standings by winning 12 medals.

The Colombian delegation now leads the Cuban delegation by 11 gold medals, with 68 to Cuba's 59.

Mexico, which is the virtual winner by country, increased its medal count and now has 116 gold, 87 silver and 75 bronze medals.

In athletics, the island added nine medals on the day, including gold medals for Rose Mary Almanza and Mario Diaz, and a personal best for Leyanis Perez in a dream triple jump, with the crown going to queen Yulimar Rojas.

Almanza (800m) made a great race by "commanding" from start to finish without wearing out, to take her third crown in the distance in regional events, after Veracruz-2014 and Barranquilla-2018.

World champion with the 4x400 relay in Silesia-2021, the Camagüey native clocked 2.01.75 and surpassed her compatriot Sahily Diago (2.02.81), for the first doubling of the island's athletics in the Salvadoran event.

Cuba's other title of the day went to young discus runner Díaz (62.57m), dethroning Colombian favorite Mauricio Ortega. Third was also Cuban Jorge Fernandez, with his third medal in the Central Caribbean, after the gold in Veracruz and the silver in Barranquilla.

The triple jump final took all the spotlight. And the protagonists of the show did not disappoint and gave the highest quality event of the Games, including all sports.

As expected, the title went to the extra-class Yulimar, winner of her first scepter at this level with 15.16 m, her best record of the year and mark of the games, improving the 14.92 of the Colombian Caterine Ibarguen in Barranquilla-2018.

Cuban Olympic finalists in Tokyo-2020 Leyanis Perez and Liadagmis Povea put the icing on the cake with splendid performances.

Leyanis (21 years old) took the silver medal by just shy of 15 meters and improved twice her lifetime best by setting it at 14.98. Leyanis also won the runner-up title after the long jump, where he also achieved a career best.

Povea repeated his bronze from five years ago, with a not inconsiderable 14.85, his season's best.

Other outstanding performances of the island's athletes came from Greysis Roble, 12.94, silver in the 100m hurdles, and Yunisleidys García, runner-up in the 200m.

Roble had the privilege of seconding Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho, gold with 12.61, and can boast of having beaten world finalist Andrea Vargas (Costa Rica).

Other sports with notable performances were diving and taekwondo.

In diving, Anisley Garcia repeated her gold medal from five years ago in the 10m platform, while in taekwondo, two-time world champion Rafael Alba (+87 kg) beat Mexico's Carlos Sansores in a fight between world champions that ended 2-1.

In other performances, Arlenis Sierra won the gold medal in the cycling time trial, in chess, a first time event in the region, Yaniela Forgas and Carlos Daniel triumphed, and in field hockey, Cuba won silver after losing to Mexico in the final on penalties, in fencing the men's epee team won bronze, in women's volleyball Cuba defeated El Salvador 3-0, in water polo Cuba beat Guatemala 25-4, and in women's softball the Cuban national team defeated Venezuela 4-0 and will be competing for the gold medal against Puerto Rico.