Marifélix Sarría Padrón

Marifélix Sarría is a Cuban weightlifter from Cienfuegos, widely regarded as the country's best female lifter in the +86 kg category. She began her athletic career at the EIDE sports school in Cienfuegos, initially trying water polo before switching to weightlifting almost by chance. Her first coach immediately recognized her potential and predicted she would become a champion.

After winning gold in the clean & jerk at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, Sarría faced a doping accusation that was later dismissed and she was fully exonerated. Undeterred, she returned stronger than ever — in 2024 she became the World Junior Champion in Spain, becoming the first Cuban woman to win a World Championship title in weightlifting.

In 2025, she achieved a historic senior World Championship silver at the competition held in Førde, Norway, winning three silver medals, marking the best result ever for Cuban women's weightlifting at the senior world level. She continued her ascent in 2026, winning three medals at the Pan American Senior Championship in Panama. Her infectious personality, resilience, and relentless self-improvement mindset make her one of Cuba's most compelling sports stories heading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.