Cuban Wrestler Geannis Garzón Wins Gold in 74 kg, Following in His Father's Footsteps at Santo Domingo 2026

August 1, 2026

Cuban wrestler Geannis Garzón, from Santiago de Cuba, won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 74-kilogram division at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Friday, July 31, 2026, in his first appearance at the regional Games.

In the final, held at Combat Pavilion 1 of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, Garzón dominated Venezuela's Ibsen Aguilar, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first period before closing out the win. He had advanced to the final with wins over El Salvador's Kevin Alemán (11-0) in the quarterfinals and the Dominican Republic's Julio Rodríguez (9-3) in the semifinals.

The title carries a strong family storyline: Garzón is the son of wrestler Geandry Garzón Caballero, who represented Cuba at the 2008 Beijing and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the same discipline. The younger wrestler first drew attention in 2025 by winning the Pan American Junior Championship in Asunción, Paraguay, and a silver medal at that year's Pan American Junior Games, before becoming senior Pan American champion in 2026.

Cuban freestyle wrestling arrived at Santo Domingo 2026 as one of the island's strongest disciplines, adding multiple gold medals on the mat during the Games, which run from July 24 through August 8, 2026, in the Dominican capital.