Ava Lee gives Haiti its first medal at Asunción 2025

NEWS

Ava Lee gives Haiti its first medal at Asunción 2025: gold in the +67 kg Taekwondo category!

Aug 16, 2025

Press Center Caribe Sports | August 16, 2025.- The Haitian flag shone for the first time on the top of the podium at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, thanks to a performance by Ava Lee, who was crowned champion in the +67 kg women’s Taekwondo category.

The 19-year-old athlete defeated Mexican Paloma García 2-1 in the final, in a fight marked by tactics and determination.

Throughout the tournament, Lee displayed authority and strength. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Valeria López of Puerto Rico 2-0, and in the semifinals, she defeated Ecuador’s Matvelin Espinoza, also 2-0. Espinoza shared the bronze medal with Colombian Kiara Paz, completing a diverse and vibrant podium for Central America and the Caribbean.

A brilliant Lee

Ava Lee had already emerged as a leading figure in the region. In 2023, she won the silver medal at the Santiago Pan American Games, and in 2024, she repeated that same result at the Pan American Taekwondo Championships.

With this result, Haiti makes its debut on the medal table at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, joining the group of Caribbean nations making history at this continental event.