Omara Durand repeats with three golds in Lima 2019

August 29, 2019

With her third gold medal hanging from her chest, Cuban sprinter Omara Durand confirmed herself as the fastest disabled athlete of the 6 Parapan American Games being held in Lima, Peru, by winning the 400 meters flat race.

Omara Durand made her debut at age 15 at the Rio de Janeiro 2007 Parapan American Games. Back then she surprised Cubans with her gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 meters flat races, in the T-13 category (visually impaired).

We were witnessing the birth of a legend. Her skill on the track made her irresistible to her rivals, combining two pure speed events with a third that requires extra endurance to complete the lap around the oval.

Now it is Omara's time again, Cuba's flag bearer at the Lima Parapan American Games, the "queen" of the event, as her teammates call her. Those who praise her this way are right, as she has just won first place in the same three distances in which she won in Toronto 2015, with their corresponding world records in the T-12 category.

The "gazelle" from Santiago, adding her achievements from Rio 2007, Guadalajara 2011 (gold in 100 and 400 in T-13), Toronto 2015, and those achieved in Lima, has accumulated 11 continental titles. She also dominated all three races at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games and the 100 and 400 in London 2012, in addition to holding six championships at the World Championships.

Durand secured her third title of the Lima 2019 competition, running the 400 meters T12 (visually impaired profound) in 52.51 seconds, quite close to the 51.77 that constitutes the world record since the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games.

"We already fulfilled the predictions and that is another satisfaction for me in Lima, where they gave me one of the most beautiful recognitions of my life, by selecting me to place the imprints of my hands in this facility, as happened before with the renowned Usain Bolt," the sprinter told Jit, visibly exhausted by a schedule that previously brought her gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters.

On August 24, the Cuban Paralympic athlete won gold in the 200 meters race, after tying the Parapan American record with a time of 23.67 seconds.

Two days later, she triumphed as queen in the 100 meters flat race, with a time of 11.76 seconds, surpassing Brazilian runners Ferreira Soares and Gabriela Mendonca.