Photo: www.jit.cu
Havana, August 4 (JIT) - Cuba's Yarisleidis Cirilo and Katherin Nuevo qualified for the C2-500 A final at the World Canoe Speed Canoe Championships in Halifax, Canada.
With a time of 2:02.12 minutes, the students of Professor Nelson Perales led the first elimination heat. They were followed by France's Axelle Renard and Eugenie Dorange (2:04.87) and Hungary's Giada Brangato and Bianka Nagy (2:05.31), who, like the Antilleans, went straight into the discussion for the gold metal.
In the other heat, the Chinese Sun Mengya and Xu Shixiao clocked the best time of the day with 1:58.66 and were escorted by the Ukrainians Anastasiia Chetverikova and Liudmyla Luzan (2:00.82) and the Germans Lisa Jahn and Sophie Koch (2:02.82).
Note that the time of the first two canoes was better than that of the Cubans, but that does not worry the president of the Cuban federation of that sport, Alejandro Hamze.
"Yarisleidis and Katherin did their job well. Now it remains for them to repeat in the final that strength and finishing that has characterized them in recent times. We have confidence in them," said the executive.
On Wednesday, the Olympic champion of Tokyo 2020 Serguey Torres and Tabiani Diéguez made their international debut as a couple in the C2-500. The pair came in fourth place, so they will be in the semifinals next Friday. In their debut, they crossed the finish line after 1:47.46 minutes of racing in the calm northern waters.
They were followed by Italy's Nicole Craciun and Daniele Santini (1:42.75), Brazil's Erlon Silva and Felipe Vieira (1:43.67), and Czech Republic's Antonin Harabal and Jiri Zalubil (1:47.23).
This Thursday Yarisleidis will return to the aquatic track in the C1-200, a modality in which experts of the international federation give her as a favorite for the podium in a fight with the American Nevin Harrison, who will have there her first international race since she became Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020. In addition, there will be the host Katie Vincent and the Ukrainian Luzan. José Ramón Pelier will also be in action in the C1-1000 to complete the debut of all Cubans.
