Cuban canoeists will debut in World Canoeing Cup

HAVANA, Cuba, May 14 (ACN) The five Cuban canoeists qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, postponed to next summer by the COVID-19, will make their debut this Friday in the canoeing World Cup, which will conclude this Sunday in Szeged, Poland.

According to the provisional program announced on the website of the International Federation of this sport (www.canoeinf.com), Yarisleidis Cirilo and Ketherín Nuevo, who have the ticket in the two-seater (C-2), will be the first Cubans to compete, but in the single-seater (C-1) at a distance of 200 meters.

José Ramón Pelier, with the Olympic place in the C-1, will do it in that modality at 1,000 meters, followed by Cirilo and Nuevo, in the C-2 at 500 meters.

Serguei Torres and Fernando Dayán Jorge, with the best podium chances in the C-2 in the Japanese multisport event, will also compete this Friday in the 1,000 meters.

On Saturday, Pelier is scheduled to compete again in the C-1, but at a distance of 500 meters, while on Sunday the Cirilo-Nuevo duo will compete in the finals at 1,000 meters, as well as Torres and Jorge, but in the 5,000 meters, a non-Olympic distance as part of their preparation.

This event will be good to measure the possibilities of the Cubans in Tokyo, as was the recent and satisfactory training camp held for 20 days in Poland, in the company of trainers Yosniel Dominguez (m) and Nelson Perales (f), doctor Dachel Rodriguez, physiotherapist Lazaro Perez and psychologist Idalis Gonzalez.

Another commitment planned before Tokyo is the World Cup in Barnaul, Russia, which will take place next 21-23.

Undoubtedly, the main podium possibilities in Tokyo are centered on the C-2 of the already veteran Torres and Jorge, multi medalists in world cups and championships.

Both won the direct Olympic places at the 2019 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, by winning the silver medal, while Nuevo and Borges won the place by placing in the A final.

For his part, Pelier joined Cuba's qualifiers by obtaining a place granted by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) for his performance in the 1,000-meter C-1.

Among his outstanding results is the gold medal in the first World Cup organized in 2019 in Poland.

Torres finished ninth in the Beijing 2008 Games and sixth in the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games, along with Karel Aguilar, Juan Carlos Bulnes and Fernando Dayán Jorge, respectively.

Cuban canoeing has its best Olympic performances in canoeing, with three silver medals and highlights for Ibrahim Rojas and Ledi Frank Balceiro, both with two.

Rojas is runner-up in the C-2 at 1000 and 500 meters along with Leobardo Pereira (Sydney) and Ledi Frank Balceiro (Athens), in that order, while Balceiro was also runner-up in the Australian city, but the C-1 at 1000 meters in the Australian city.