Determined Parapowerlifters Aim to Surpass 2023 Performance

With a delegation larger and of a higher competitive level than the one registered for the previous edition, Cuban parapowerlifters aspire to surpass their performance at the Chile 2025 Youth Parapan American Games, which open this Friday night at the National Stadium.

"At the event in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2023, we participated with only three athletes and achieved very good results, as part of Cuba's first presence in this type of event. This time we have grown, as we have added female athletes, a category in which we now have the greatest medal potential," stated coach Ramón Martínez.

Increased Delegation and Medal Ambitions

For the competition based in the city of O'Higgins, from November 7 to 9, the Greater Antilles plans to participate with five women and three men and win medals in the majority of weight categories.

"The female 41 kg and male 49 kg categories are very competitive. In 2023, we won gold in the men's team event, and this time we plan to also compete in the women's and mixed team events, something made possible by the greater number and better preparation we have," he emphasized.

Awareness of Growing Competition

Martínez, who is nicknamed "Guaso" due to his origins in Guantánamo, is aware that the competition will be high-quality because this parasport has grown in the number of participants in different events.

"There are teams that have many more members, like Brazil and Chile itself, who prepare very well and have a solid foundation because they work from the junior categories. We are doing something similar, with the conditions available to us, and hence our progress," indicated the technician who directs the center based in Bayamo, the headquarters of the national pre-selection team.

Optimism Fueled by International Experience

Martínez feels optimistic because he can count on the athletes from Granma, Amalia González (45 kg) and Daynelis Vázquez (41 kg), who had a successful experience at the recent World Championship in Cairo, Egypt, where between them they won three gold medals and one silver.

"The idea is to improve our marks, as that event served as a base and provided them with international experience. It must be considered that these parathletes, except for Amalia, have only been training with us for between nine months and a year," he highlighted.

The group is completed by fellow Granma athletes Daniuvis Díaz (55 kg) and Ailyn Caraballo (73 kg), Santiago's Bárbara Rivera (61kg), Matanzas' Yoidel Queralta (72 kg), Guantánamo's Erlis González (49 kg), and Ronny Pérez (59 kg), also from Granma, along with psychologist Madelín González and doctor Jorge David Calante.

"They qualified for these games during the World Cup held here in Santiago de Chile, and we observed that the rivalry is quite even, more so among the men, but once again we will seek to make our presence felt in this type of competition," he concluded.