Havana Triathlon

Havana, February 27 (ACN) - The Havana International Triathlon returned after three years of absence, with an attractive competition between elite competitors from 15 to over 70 years of age from America, Europe and Asia in the Olympic and sprint distances.

Maria Carolina Velasquez of Colombia, with 1:59:26 hours, won the first category, followed by Slovakia's Ivana Kuriackova (1:59:27) and Turkey's Xisca Tous (1:59:36).

Leslie Amat, Cuba's top triathlete, officially finished seventh, with 2:01:32.

Amat told ACN that the competition, despite three years without being held due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated once again the high level of the triathletes from the Americas and the guests from other continents.

Among elite men, Canadian Martin Sobey won (1:43:47), with a millimetric advantage over American Ka'eo Kruse (1:43:48), in a race where Mexican Irving Perez won the bronze with 1:43:53.

In the sprint distance, Cuba's Nahomi Solanye Hernández (1:06:16) came out on top, escorted on the podium by the Dominican Karel Ramírez (1:07:15) and Cuba's Salamah Mahroos (1:11:10).

Cuba also dominated the women's categories of 25-29, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54 and 60-64 years, and the men's categories of 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 55-59, 60-64 and over 70 years.

The Olympic triathlon, of 1,500 meters swimming, 40 kilometers (km) cycling and 10 km running, and the sprint, of 750 meters swimming, 20 km on cranks and five km running, began in the canals of the Hemingway Marina, in the west of the Cuban capital, and ended in the gardens of the Hotel Nacional, as usual.