Canoeing confirms strength inside and outside of Cuba

Havana, Dec. 24 - Cuba's recent international success in canoeing confirms that the discipline maintains its place among the strongest in any context, with a healthy mix of experience and new talent, providing a foundation for the future.

With medals in championships and world cups, as well as in the II Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, this sport closed 2025 with results that reaffirm the strength of its training program, the rigor of its training, and the stability of its competitive project.

Alejandro Hamze, president of the Cuban Canoeing Federation, emphasized to JIT that the results are the fruit of systematic work at both the grassroots and high-performance levels, a training chain that today demonstrates coherence across the different categories.

In the women's category, Olympic medalist Yarisleidis Cirilo and the young Yisnoly López reached A finals in the World Cups of Szeged (Hungary) and Poznan (Poland), a step that validates their inclusion in the elite, even without always reaching their best times of the season.

In July, a peak moment arrived with the world championship in the under-23 category, hosted by Portugal, in which Cirilo won gold in the C1-200m and shortly afterwards completed his outstanding performance with the silver obtained in the absolute world championship held in Milan, Italy.

Among the men, José Ramón Pelier once again proved to be a leading figure. His consistency in C1 maintained his place among the top names of the cycle.

The gold medal in Szeged and the silver in Poznan, both in the 5000m distance—though not an Olympic event—position him as a key player for regional events and the goal of Los Angeles 2028.

Hamze insisted that "reaching top-level finals is a clear indicator of belonging to the elite; although the times weren't what we expected, the competitive standard is maintained and the margin for improvement is identified».

The director also highlighted the importance of the Junior Pan American Games, with three golds, three silvers, and one bronze, evidence that confirms the positive path being followed.

For his performances in Asunción, Yisnoly was nominated for the Sports Achievement Award at the 2025 Panam Sports Junior Awards, a recognition of his progress and composure in crucial moments.

This performance speaks to a promising future for the sport. Cuban canoeing has a present and a future, and it demonstrated this in Asunción, he reiterated to JIT, making clear the horizon of ambition for the next competitive season.

The balance for 2025 is positive: regional medals, presence in world finals and consolidated leaderships, a combination that sustains high goals without losing realism.

With guaranteed classification and margins to adjust loads towards Santo Domingo 2026, Hamze insists: the key will be to sustain preparation and turn every opportunity into growth, a mantra that sums up method and ambition.

The centenary of the Central American and Caribbean Games appears as an ideal framework to confirm the validity of this discipline on the regional stage, with a squad that combines desires for victory and professionalism. (Text and photo: JIT)