Photo: Prensa Latina

Havana, December 23 (RHC)-- Argentina's national soccer team, striker Lionel Messi and Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas dominated the annual Prensa Latina poll to choose the best athletes in Latin America and the Caribbean, which closed today.

The Albiceleste team, the recent winner of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, closed the poll with 25 preferences, much more than the nine accumulated by its basketball team, holder of the Copa América.

On the other hand, Messi obtained 21 votes and came back in the last week, to displace the Brazilian hurdler Alison dos Santos, world champion in his specialty, who was ahead almost all the time and finally closed with 11.

Photo: Prensa Latina

Meanwhile, among the women, from start to finish, the most voted was Rojas, world indoor and outdoor gold medalist this season, who deserved 32 ballots, well ahead of her closest runner-up, Peruvian walker Kimberly García (9).

As expected, the World Cup at the end of the year had a strong influence on the poll. A total of print, radio and television media from 17 countries, some as far away as Lebanon and China, sent in their votes, among them several well-known ones such as TyCSports, from Argentina, Canadian Post (Canada), among others.

Voters also recognized the work of other outstanding players during the year, such as the Dominican baseball player Jeremy Peña, the Cuban judo player Andy Granda, the Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade and the Colombian women's indoor soccer team.

In the case of Messi, it is his third trophy in the Poll, as he also won in 2011 and 2014; as did Rojas, who won it before in 2017 and 2019, and the Albiceleste adds its sixth victory among the collectives, after those harvested in 1986, 1990, 2001, 2008 and 2014.

The historical dominators in these sections continue to be Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, Colombian triple jumper Catherine Ibargüen and the Brazilian men's soccer team, with six, five and nine victories, respectively.