One year after Paris 2024

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One year after Paris 2024: Central America and the Caribbean write a new Olympic page

Jul 29, 2025

One year after Paris 2024, the City of Light was also the city of dreams fulfilled for Central America and the Caribbean. Twelve months after that golden moment, the echoes of victories, first medals, and broken records still resonate strongly from the streets of Roseau to the shores of Kingston.

What Changed for the Region

Dominica and Saint Lucia celebrated their first Olympic gold medal:

Thea LaFond, in the triple jump with 15.02 meters, took the podium, filling the nation of Dominica, made up of less than 72,000 inhabitants, with joy.

Arriving in Paris with her personal best, she not only celebrated a personal title, but also a title that bears the colors of her flag.

Julien Alfred cemented her place as the queen of the 100 meters by reaching the podium twice, placing Saint Lucia on the medal list for Paris 2024 with her nation’s first two medals. With a time of 10.71 in the 100 meters and 22.08 in the women’s 200 meters, Alfred made a strong showing at the Stade de France.

Guatemala and Her First Gold

In a country marked by structural sporting limitations, Adriana Ruano put Guatemala on the top of the Olympic podium for the first time. She did so in the skeet shooting competition with a score of 45 hits, achieving an Olympic record.

Marileidy, Queen of the Caribbean

Marileidy Paulino made her mark on Olympic history. The sprinter not only won Olympic gold in the women’s 400 meters, but also achieved an Olympic record: 48.17 seconds. She was the first Dominican woman to win gold in a track and field event.

Medals that paved the way

Atheyna Bylon, the outstanding Panamanian boxer, won silver in the -75 kilogram category, becoming the first woman from Panama to win an Olympic medal.

In Puerto Rico, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn repeated her presence on the podium with a bronze in the 100-meter hurdles, reaffirming her status as one of the best in the world.

Cuba and Nostalgia

Achieving legendary status means effort and commitment, not to mention hard work. Mijain López lived up to those standards.

And nostalgia was not lacking in Paris. After defeating Chilean Yasmani Acosta in the 130 kg final, the fighter kissed the Champ-de-Mars canvas and placed his boots on the mat, signaling that after his historic fifth Olympic gold, it would be the last in a career steeped in history.

One year after Paris 2024, what does it mean today?

One year after these achievements, the region faces the challenge of sustaining the momentum, expanding investment, and democratizing access to high-performance. In many cases, the athletes were the product of personal efforts or programs supported abroad.

Paris 2024 demonstrated that the size of a country does not limit the magnitude of its history. Central America and the Caribbean are no longer just participants, but protagonists. And although the calendar says a year has passed, for millions of people in this part of the world, the memory remains as vivid as the day the medal was hung.