Marifélix Sarría Claims Gold, Silver and Bronze at 2026 Pan American Weightlifting Championship in Panama

May 1, 2026

Cuban weightlifter Marifélix Sarría, the reigning World Championship silver medalist in the +86 kg category, delivered a standout performance on April 30, 2026, at the 2026 Pan American Senior Weightlifting Championship in Panama City, claiming medals in all three disciplines: gold in the clean & jerk, silver in the total, and bronze in the snatch.

The 21-year-old from Cienfuegos lifted 161 kilograms in the clean & jerk to take the continental gold in that lift, establishing herself as the region's top lifter in her category. Her snatch attempts at 114, 117, and 119 kilograms earned her the bronze, while her combined total secured the silver medal in the overall classification.

The result confirms Sarría's exceptional form heading into a crucial year of competition. She arrives in Panama backed by the three silver medals she won at the 2025 Senior World Championship in Førde, Norway — the best result in the history of Cuban women's weightlifting at the adult world level. Just days earlier at the same championship, her teammate Otto Oñate had also claimed three silvers in the 60 kg category, underscoring Cuba's strong weightlifting moment.

Sarría's journey to the top has been far from straightforward. She was introduced to the sport almost by accident at the EIDE sports school in Cienfuegos, having first tried water polo. Her coach recognized her potential immediately, predicting she would one day be a champion. After winning gold in the clean & jerk at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, she faced a doping allegation from the medical commission of Centro Caribe Sports — a charge she consistently denied and was ultimately dismissed and fully exonerated.

Rehabilitated and more determined than ever, Sarría won the 2024 World Junior Championship in Spain, becoming the first Cuban woman to claim a World Championship gold in weightlifting. Speaking to Granma about her approach to competition, she has said: "I like to compete against myself. I always want to improve."

The 2026 Pan American Championship also serves as a qualifier for the World Championship and as a performance benchmark ahead of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, where Sarría is projected as the top gold medal contender in her weight class.