SANTA MARTA.- With the extinguishing of the fire in the 500-year-old multi-sports park of El Rodadero, the I Central American and Caribbean Sea and Beach Games Santa Marta 2022 are concluded, an event that hosted 26 nations in this city of Magdalena.

Venezuela emerged as the champion of the games, taking 11 gold medals, the only delegation to exceed double digits in gold medals. He accompanied those titles, with eleven silver and seven bronze, for a total of 29, establishing an important mark in this type of event organized by Centro Caribe Sports.

Puerto Rico ranked second in the medal table, reaching nine gold medals, four silver and the same number in bronze, to reach 17 medals, which according to data from the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, met the goal projected by the COPUR High Performance Department.

The locals, Colombia, was the third nation on the list, achieving seven champion titles, with eight runners-up and five bronze medals, to reach the figure of 20 metals.

Another national team that reached the figure of 20 medals was Mexico, which ranked fourth in the medal table, thanks to its five golds, six silvers and 10 bronzes, ending with 21.

Historical events in Santa Marta 2022

Santa Marta 2022 marked a before and after for Antigua and Barbuda, as well as various sports such as sailing, surfing and open water swimming, among others.

The Caribbean nation managed to sound its national anthem in the Central American and Caribbean Games endorsed by Centro Caribe Sports, in this time, with the title of Tiger Peter Tyson in the category of Sailing Kite surfing, and at the same time, sealing its classification to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, to be held in Chile.

In addition to Tyson, the Aruban Malik Hoveling also qualified for the continental event, winning the iQFOiL in the waters of Santa Marta.

Regarding sports, each of the 10 sports disciplines were broadcast on the signal of Centro Caribe Sports Channel, a channel that was born on the night of the Opening Ceremony of the I Central American and Caribbean Sean and Beach Games, Santa Marta, on last Saturday, November 19, 2022, with the direction and production of Júpiter Rivera.

15 of the 26 delegations that competed in the multi-sport fair reached the podium in Santa Marta 2022, led by Venezuela, followed by Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico and El Salvador.

In addition, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, Panama, Barbados, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, the US Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The multi-medalists

Martha Rocio Sandoval Ayala from Mexico, is the athlete of the I Central American and Caribbean Sea and Beachs Games, by winning three gold medals, in the 4x1000m mixed, 5000m and 3000m relay modalities of open water swimming.

Sandoval was the most decorated athlete out of a total of 12 gladiators who reached the podium on multiple occasions in these games during a full week of actions on the beaches of El Rodadero, Mendihuaca and Camellón de Bahía.

Juan Manuel Morales Restrepo and Isabella Maria Gomez Brady, both from Colombia, and Beatriz Mercedes Rivera Torres from Puerto Rico, touched the top podium honor twice.

Juliano Rodríguez from Puerto Rico, as well as Paulina Alanis and Daniel Delgadillo from Mexico, and Ramón “Nacho” Guedez, Diego Vera, Andrea Colavitta, Ruthseli Aponte and Daniel Juarez, all from Venezuela, complete the list of multi-medalists of the Beach Games of Centro Caribe Sports.