Cubans today to semifinals of 2023 ICS canoe sprint world cup in Szeged

HAVANA, Cuba, May 12 (ACN) Several Cuban canoeists participating in the Canoe World Cup in Szeged, Hungary, will be today in the semifinals of a competition that will conclude this Sunday with the presence of more than 700 canoeists and kayakers.

According to the International Federation website www.canoeicf.com, on Thursday they advanced to this phase after the results of the preliminary rounds, with a highlight for Yurisleidis Cirilo, a multiple world champion, finalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the 500-meter tandem canoe (C-2),

Cirilo will compete in the semis 1 of the 500-meter C-2 with her new boat partner, Mailienys Avila Calderon, and in the 200-meter single-seater (C-1).

The Cubans will line up in lane nine of the C-2, with the presence also of duos from Great Britain, with two, Kazakhstan (2), Hungary (2) Poland (2) and Chile (1), while in the C-1 she will be accompanied by Georgian, British, Hungarian, Spanish, Chinese, Czech, French and Portuguese athletes.

Mailienys will also row in the C-1 200m, but in semifinal 3, while Jose Ramon Pelier will row in semifinal 2 of the C-1 1,000m.

In kayaking, the semifinalists Friday are Robert Benitez, in the B1 of the one-seater (K-1) at 1,000 meters, and Yurieni Herrera, in the A2 of the K-1 at 500 meters.

Also participating for Cuba in the Cup are Serguei Torres, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in the two-seater canoe (C-2) at 1,000 meters, and his new partner in the C-2, Tabiani Dieguez.

As scheduled, Torres will paddle the C-2 at 500 meters alongside Dieguez and the C-1 at 5,000 meters.

The best podium chances for Cuba will be with Cirilo, in the C-1 at 200 and 500 meters, Torres, in the C-1 at 5,000 meters, and Pelier, in the C-1 at 1,000 and 5,000 meters.