Sancti Spíritus Announces Athletes of the Year (+photos)

Eglys de la Cruz and Serguey Torres were the most outstanding in individual sports, while Roseli Harris  and Frederich Cepeda were the best in collective sports

Taking into consideration their performance both in Cuba and abroad, especially in the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games held in Barranquilla, Colombia, the best athletes of this year were announced in Sancti Spiritus in the traditional meeting between INDER and the specialized press.

Shooter Eglys de la Cruz and canoeist Serguey Torres were the most outstanding in individual sports, while Roseli Harris (field hockey) and Frederich Cepeda (baseball) were the best in collective sports.

De la Cruz won three gold medals, one silver and set two records in Barranquilla, and was awarded six titles and one silver medal in the Grand Prix of El Salvador. She also qualified for the Pan American Games in Peru. Serguey Torres was winner of gold and silver medals in the six international events in which he took part, including titles in the Games of Barranquilla and two in World Cups. These results also allowed him to be among the best athletes of Cuba and to get his ticket to Lima 2019.

Roseli Harris was part of the Cuban team that won the gold medal in the Central American and Caribbean Games while Frederich Cepeda won silver with the Cuban team in the same event.

Basketball was the best among collective sport and the was ranked first among individual disciplines.

A special recognition was granted to the men’s road cycling team, winner of the National Road Championship for the second consecutive year, while boxer Jorge Griñán was the rookie of the year.

The ten best athletes were: Lisbet Hernández (sport shooting), Merly Cots and Yuraima Vera (field hockey), Reineris Andreu (wrestling), Adrián Puente (archery), Rafael Rosendi (artistic gymnastics), Yamara Amargo and Yoanki Mencía (basketball), Eilen Gilbert (3×3 basketball) and Adrián Goide (volleyball).  Yoel Solenzal, individual champion of the Road Cycling National Championship received a special mention.

Among the junior athletes, the 64-kilogram boxing champion Idalberto Umará and swimmer Lorena González, bronze medal winner in Brranquilla, were the most distinguished.

The best 10 junior athletes were: Yailín Paredes and Hazael Rodríguez (archery), Dairon Robles (skating), Damián Solenzal, Cristian Solenzal and Yonger Bastida (wrestling), Yenifer Ramírez (sport shooting), José Carlos Escandón (artistic gymnastics), Keyla Miranda (rhythmic gymnastics), and Alejandro Claro (boxing).

In the sports for disabled people, the performance of Osdani Madrigal from ANCI (National Associations for the Blind and Visually Handicapped), Joel Díaz from ANSOC (National Association of the Deaf in Cuba) and Elvis Baguet from the ACLIFIM (Cuban Association for Physical/Motor Impaired People) was highlighted.

The rest of the recognitions were as follows: Yamil Herrera, best international volleyball referee; Pablo Carbó, best national boxing referee; Alieski Reyes, best high performance coach; Yuneimi Suárez best base archery coach; Rodelsis Beltrán, from the José Mendoza School of Trinidad, best teacher of Physical Education, and José Manuel Betancourt, from Mayajigua, best voluntary sports activist.