Cuban canoeists in Poland set their sights on the world championships

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 9 (ACN) Led by the Olympic champions in the two-seater canoe (C-2) at 1,000 meters at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Seguey Torres and Fernando Dayán Jorge, Cuba's top canoeists are training in Poland.

Joining the Olympic gold medalists are José Ramón Pelier, Yarisleidis Cirilo and Katherin Nuevo, all of whom are getting ready for the 2021 World Championships to be held on September 16 to 19 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Alejandro Hanze, president of the National Canoeing Federation, told ACN today that, despite some inconveniences during the trip, the canoeists are making the most of their stay in Poland to perform well in Denmark.

“First they missed the flight from Paris, where they had made a stopover on their long and unavoidable trip to Copenhagen, and on top of that it was not until Wednesday that they received the paddles. And Pelier is still waiting for his luggage,” he said. “Fortunately, the canoes that they usually train with were already in Poland.”

The Cuban athletes will travel to Denmark on the 14th for Copenhagen with a positive mind and a great desire to prove their competitive level, both these days and with a view to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

After Tokyo 2020, Cuba received 13 canoes, an important acquisition to prepare our athletes, particularly in the present Olympic cycle leading up to Paris 2024.

“The seven canoes that we used in Tokyo were donated, and the other six were bought by the Cuban National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER),” he remarked.

Torres and Jorge won the gold medal in Tokyo 2020 in the 1,000 m C-2.