The\u00a010-kilometer open water swimming\u00a0events at the\u00a0XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026\u00a0awarded the discipline’s first medals on Saturday, with\u00a0Mexico\u00a0emerging as the most successful delegation by capturing five medals, while\u00a0Venezuela\u00a0and\u00a0Costa Rica\u00a0also delivered outstanding performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the men’s race,\u00a0Paulo Strehlke\u00a0of Mexico claimed the Central American and Caribbean title after crossing the finish line in\u00a02:02:34. Costa Rica’s\u00a0Jeison Rojas\u00a0earned the silver medal with a time of\u00a02:05:03, while Mexico’s\u00a0Diego Obelesecured the bronze in\u00a02:05:07.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The women’s event belonged to Venezuela’s\u00a0Paola P\u00e9rez, who captured the gold medal with a winning time of\u00a02:18:25. Mexico’s\u00a0Yuritzi Salgado\u00a0took silver in\u00a02:18:44, while her compatriot\u00a0Dalia Moreno\u00a0rounded out the podium with the bronze medal in\u00a02:18:48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this victory,\u00a0P\u00e9rez successfully defended the 10-kilometer title she won at San Salvador 2023 and claimed her third career gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games, after earning two gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the previous edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mexico concluded Saturday’s competition with\u00a0five medals\u00a0in the 10-kilometer events\u2014one gold, one silver and three bronze\u2014reaffirming its strength in open water swimming at the start of the competition in Santo Domingo 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After winning the title, Venezuela’s\u00a0Paola P\u00e9rez\u00a0acknowledged that the road to gold was shaped by the challenges she faced throughout her preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“We knew the three of us had already secured our spots. I arrived feeling exhausted because my preparation was heavily interrupted during the last month. My goal was, at the very least, to secure the bronze medal. Simply qualifying had already required a tremendous effort, especially because my son is still very young and demands much of my time.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
P\u00e9rez explained that experience proved decisive in making the right decisions during the race and expressed gratitude that her efforts were rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“It had happened to me before that a poor entry into the funnel cost me the race. This time I lifted my head, saw the group moving and reacted in time. The only thing I thought was, ‘My God, thank You for rewarding my effort.’ Experience eventually pays off.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The champion also spoke about her Olympic aspirations and the support of her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Los Angeles 2028 has always been on my mind, although now I’m approaching that goal with a little more calm. I have many responsibilities, and my son depends on me completely. Thank God I have the unconditional support of my husband, Hugo, who is my right-hand man. This result is also for him, for Le\u00f3n and for my entire family.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Open water swimming competition will continue on\u00a0Sunday, July 26, with the\u00a03K Sprint Knock-Out\u00a0events for both men and women, scheduled to begin at\u00a09:00 a.m.\u00a0at\u00a0Sans Souc\u00ed, where the region’s top specialists will once again compete for medals at the\u00a0XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a010-kilometer open water swimming\u00a0events at the\u00a0XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026\u00a0awarded the discipline’s first medals on Saturday, with\u00a0Mexico\u00a0emerging as the most successful delegation by capturing five medals, while\u00a0Venezuela\u00a0and\u00a0Costa Rica\u00a0also delivered outstanding performances. In the men’s race,\u00a0Paulo Strehlke\u00a0of Mexico claimed the Central American and Caribbean title after crossing the finish line in\u00a02:02:34. Costa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[24,33,7,12,32],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-athletes","tag-ccs","tag-centro-caribe-sports","tag-olympic-games","tag-santo-domingo-2026"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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