Dayli Cooper wins Pan American 800m gold with personal record 1:56.10 in Medellín

June 30, 2026

Cuban middle-distance runner Dayli Cooper was crowned Pan American champion in the 800 meters on Sunday, June 29, 2026, at the Pan American Athletics Championship in Medellín, Colombia, clocking 1:56.10 minutes — a new personal best that cements her place among Cuba's all-time greats in middle-distance running.

The 24-year-old from Camagüey dazzled at the Estadio Alfonso Galvis Duque, improving her previous personal best of 1:58.03 — set just weeks earlier at the Znamensky Memorial in Russia — by more than two seconds. Meghan Hunter of the United States (1:58.93) and Canadian Maeliss Trapeau (1:59.54) completed the podium.

Earlier that day, Cooper had also won gold in the 1500 meters with 4:22.72, though she acknowledged Medellín's altitude affected her in that race. "I finished a bit tired, but in the 800 I felt better and had the strength to break my record," said Cooper, who also thanked her coach Pedro Tamayo and her mother.

With this performance, Cooper became the third-best Cuban woman of all time in the 800 meters, moving compatriot Rosemary Almanza (1:56.28) off the historic national podium led by the legendary Ana Fidelia Quirót (1:54.44) and Zulia Calatayud (1:56.09).

The double gold also earned Cooper direct qualification to the 2027 Lima Pan American Games.

Cooper accounted for half of Cuba's four golds in Medellín. The others came from Dianelis Delís (shot put) and Anisleidis Ochoa (5000m). Shot putter Juan Carley Vázquez added a silver. Cuba's six-athlete delegation finished fifth in the medal table, topped by the Dominican Republic with eight golds.