San Salvador 2023: four nymphs, an unexpected win, and the regional record…

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Jun 29 (ACN) “We have a better chance in the 4x200 m freestyle relay than in the 4x100 m; Mexico is always on our tail,” Cuban swimmer Elisbet Gámez, multiple medalist in the 24th Central American and Caribbean Games.

Against all odds, the leader of the Cuban women's team "tasted" the crown in the freestyle relay race along with teammates Lorena Gonzalez, Andrea Becali and Clara Laurent Estrada, who relegated Mexico to the second place.

As if that were not enough, they set a Central American record by stopping the clock at 3:45.18 minutes, better than Mexico’s in the 2018 Games held in Barranquilla.

“It was a team effort, which I think it's the most important thing,” said Gonzalez, 21, who also broke the national record in the 100 m butterfly race in San Salvador.

On her end, Gámez, 26, who had already won the gold in the 100 m and 200 m freestyle events, remarked that she was honored to have helped her teammates win their first gold medal. “They have come to realize that they are warriors, so on Thursday we will go out to fight for another medal in the 4x200 m relay race.”

All four swimmers are brimming with enthusiasm and optimism, as they trust both their training and their guts to go places.