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The Cuban athlete earned two silver medals in the individual pursuit and scratch events, in addition to a third seat in the points race
Marlies Mejias starred in the best performance for Cuba in the 2018 Pan-American Track Cycling Championships of Aguascalientes, Mexico, qualifier for the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games and that was attended by athletes from 20 countries.
The Cuban athlete earned two silver medals in the individual pursuit and scratch events, in addition to a third seat in the points race.
In the scratch, the winner was American Jennifer Valente, while the bronze medal went to Mexican Mayra Rocha, and in pursuit; Mejias was beaten by American Kelly Catlin, while the also American Jennifer Wheeler ranked third.
Valente herself and Mexican Jessica Bonilla made the one-two, in that order, in the points race event, in which Mejias was the bronze medalist.
The two other Cuban women attending the contest, Lisandra Guerra and Mirtha Garcia, finished fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 500 meters time trial, event won by the local Jessica Salazar, who was followed by her countrywoman Daniela Gaxiola and Colombian Martha Bayona, in that order.
Guerra and Garcia also ranked 11th and 15th respectively in the sprint event and they both were closed to climb to the podium in the team sprint when ranking fourth, behind Mexico, United States and Canada, in that order.
In addition, the young girl Garcia finished twelfth in the keirin, event won by Colombian Bayona, escorted by Canadians Lauriane Genest and Amelia Walsh.
Five Cuban men also participated in this major competition: Leandro Marcos who ranked 7th and 8th respectively in Scratch and the Points Race; Maikol Hernandez finished eighth in the individual pursuit and Jans Carlos Arias was thirteenth in Omnium, while Alejandro Parra and Alejandro Carriles
ranked seventh in the team pursuit event.
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