Havana, October 2 (JIT) - Cubans Maydenia Sarduy and Hugo Franco were the best mixed pair in the 1st Maricá 2023 International Archery Challenge, held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

The duo, bronze medalists in recurve archery at the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023, once again excelled in an international competition, this time defeating 6-0 the local favorite team of Sarah Nikitin and Marcus D'Almeida.

The latter, 2021 world runner-up and recent winner of the World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico, is one of the strong candidates to win the individual title at the upcoming Pan American Games in Santiago 2023. Therefore, the triumph of the exponents of the island comes with a certain optimism for that event.

The Cuban representation also enjoyed the bronze medal of Yailín Paredes and Juan José Santiesteban, 6-2 winners over Ecuador's Erika Martínez and Juan Peralta.

The competition, held at the same time as the Brazilian national championship, had singular characteristics and more than one couple per country could register. This enhanced the spectacle and offered a chance for the visiting squads that are preparing for the Games in the Chilean capital.

Cuba contested the men's team final, but the trio of Hugo, Juan José and Javier Vega lost 0-6 to hosts D'Almeida, Matheus Ely and Matheus Gomes.

Among women, Maydenia, Yailín and Larissa Pagán finished in third place, after beating Argentina's Josefina Bourdin, Oriana González and Alma López 6-0. The gold prize went to the hosts Nikitin, Isabelle Estevez and Ana Clara Machado.

In the men's singles there was a double Cuban prize: Juan José lost 0-6 in the final against D'Almeida and Hugo won with a similar score against Chilean Pablo Pradenas in the dispute for the bronze metal.

The girls could not be included among the winners. Yailín had the most notable performance, advancing to the quarterfinals, where she was eliminated by Adriana Espinosa of Ecuador. The title went to Colombia's Maira Sepulveda, thanks to her 6-4 victory in the final over Argentina's Alma Lopez.

Although due to the characteristics of the event, the 70-meter double round was not held, with which the matches in the main competitions are ordered, what was experienced in Maricá served to outline details of the preparation before Santiago 2023.

In addition to facing several of their possible rivals, it was beneficial to compete away from home, especially in the unusual shooting range artificially mounted on a lake.