Cuba Satisfied with Abu Dhabi Special Olympics

Cuba’s delegation to the Special Olympics World Games, which concluded Thursday, is leaving Abu Dhabi pleased to have done its homework with 11 medals and received recognition from hosts and other participants.

‘It has been a brilliant performance and the games were spectacular in everything, in organization, accommodation, prizes, hospitality and attentions of the nationals,’ said the Head of the Cuban delegation, Mirian Menendez Peña, in an interview with Prensa Latina.

Menendez said the Cuban delegation included eight athletes (four women and an equal number of men), as well as three coaches of athletics, swimming and weightlifting, and won three gold, five silver and three bronze medals.

The trophies were won by the women’s long jump, with Irina Lopez Garcia -who also won seventh place in the 100-meter flat-, and in the weightlifting, thanks to two outstanding performances by Yaritza Parrado in the Squat modality (bent down) and in the combined total.

Moments before going to Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium for the closing ceremony, the Head of Athletes pointed out that the silver medals also corresponded to weights, two in deadlift and bench press, as well as three in athletics (100, 400 and 800 metres).

Runner Mandy Yoiniel Mojena Valdes got silver medals in 400 and 800 metres, while his teammate Roberto Fernandez did the same in 100 metres and also won the bronze in the long jump.

Besides, Cubans got another two bronzes through the deadlift Yoandy Beltran, with a personal record of 160 kilograms and a fourth place in Squat, and the sprinter Yulieser de la Caridad Ortega García (100 m).