Cuban Yarisleidis Cirilo Wins Silver at Canoe Sprint World Championships

Cuban athlete Yarisleidis Cirilo claimed the silver medal today in the women’s C1 200-meter final at the Canoe Sprint World Championships held in this city.

Cirilo registered a time of 46.27 seconds, finishing just 18 hundredths behind Ukraine’s Liudmyla Luzan, the Tokyo 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, who secured the title with a powerful closing surge in 46.09. Russia’s Evgeniia Shliapnikova completed the podium in 46.59.

The final was a high-tension showdown, with Cirilo charging from the opening stroke and refusing to yield until the very end, a performance that underscored the stature of an athlete who continues to affirm her place among the world’s best.

This silver medal adds to the record of the paddler from Guantánamo, who earlier this year won the Under-23 world title in Italy, earned Olympic bronze in Paris 2024, and captured the absolute world championship in 2023.

A striking note of the day was the absence of Canadian Katie Vincent, the reigning Olympic champion, from the podium. Considered one of the favorites, she was unable to respond in the decisive meters.

With more than 1,400 athletes from 75 countries, the 50th edition of the championships awarded 24 canoe sprint crowns and 12 in paracanoe. The competition also marked the official start of the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.