Yarisleidis Cirilo Wins Three Gold Medals in Canoeing at Santo Domingo 2026

August 7, 2026

Cuban canoeist Yarisleidis Cirilo won three gold medals in a single day of competition at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, topping the podium in the individual C1-200 meters, the C2-500 meters alongside her sister Diorgina Cirilo, and the mixed C2-500 meters alongside José Ramón Pelier, in races held Thursday, August 6.

In the individual event, Cirilo led from start to finish and clocked 47.78 seconds to take gold in the C1-200 meters. Hours later, the sister duo of Yarisleidis and Diorgina Cirilo, both from Guantánamo, won the women's C2-500 meters with a time of 1:58.24 minutes. Cirilo's day was capped by the mixed C2-500 meters title, paired with Pelier, after the two crossed the line in 1:56.41 minutes.

Pelier also collected three gold medals on the day: an individual win in the C1-1000 meters with a time of 4:09.17 minutes, gold in the men's C2-500 meters alongside Tabiany Diéguez in 1:41.61 minutes, and the mixed title shared with Cirilo.

Cirilo, born in 2002 in Guantánamo, is one of Cuba's most decorated canoeists of the past decade, with medals from the Olympic Games, world championships and World Cup events in the discipline. The Santo Domingo 2026 canoeing competitions were held at the Presa El Rincón venue.