Cuban Rower Leah Daniela Almeida Leaves Delegation Days After Winning Bronze at Santo Domingo 2026

July 28, 2026

Cuban rower Leah Daniela Almeida Rodríguez left the Cuban delegation at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo on Monday, July 27, 2026, according to Cuban sports journalist Francys Romero, who first reported the news on social media. The departure came two days after Almeida won Cuba's first medal of the Games.

 On July 25, Almeida and partner Ana Laura Jiménez took bronze in the women's lightweight double sculls, finishing the race in 7 minutes, 36.59 seconds at the rowing venue on the Presa de Rincón. Almeida, from the town of Máximo Gómez in the Perico municipality of Matanzas province, had also competed at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador.

Cuban sports authorities had not issued an official statement on her departure as of this report. Almeida is the second member of the Cuban delegation to leave the Games early, after field hockey goalkeeper Moisés David Torres departed on July 24.

Athlete departures during international competitions have become a recurring storyline for Cuban sports delegations in recent years, tied to the economic difficulties many Cubans cite when choosing to remain abroad after competing.