Yarisleidis Cirilo Wins Silver and Gold at the 2026 Szeged Canoe Sprint World Cup

May 14, 2026

Cuban canoeist Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys delivered another outstanding performance at the 2026 Szeged Canoe Sprint World Cup in Hungary (May 8–11), collecting two medals: silver in the C1-200m individual event and gold in the C2-200m alongside teammate Yinnolis Franchesca López.

In the individual event — considered the flagship discipline of women's canoe sprint — Cirilo clocked 44.19 seconds in a technically demanding and tightly fought race. She was bested only by Ukraine's Liudmyla Luzan, who took gold with 43.23 seconds, while compatriot Iryna Fedoriv completed the podium with 44.35 in a race decided by the finest of margins. The result reinforces Cirilo's standing as a global benchmark in the distance, building on her Olympic bronze at Paris 2024 and her world championship title in the discipline.

The Guantánamo native did not stop there. In the C2-200m alongside Yinnolis Franchesca López, she went one better and claimed the gold medal, completing an exceptional double for Cuba on the Hungarian water. The pair's performance underscores the strength of Cuban women's canoe sprint across both the short-distance disciplines.

The Szeged outing also carried personal meaning for Cirilo: the competition coincided with her 24th birthday (May 10), making the sporting success feel like a well-earned gift to herself. With this result, Cirilo and López maintain their strong preparation ahead of upcoming commitments, with the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026 on the horizon.

Remarkably, Cirilo had previously triumphed on this same course in 2023, winning gold in the Szeged World Cup C1-200m — also on her birthday. History repeated itself in style as the Baracoa-born athlete continues to build one of the most impressive résumés in world canoe sprint.