Cuban cyclist Mejias wins omnium in Pan American championship

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 10 (acn) Cuban cyclist Marlies Mejías won the omnium competition at the Pan American Championship held in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where 16 nations had competitors.

Mejias, 23, gave the small Cuban delegation its only gold medal when she accumulated 231 points in an event that combines six races on different modalities and distances.
Mexican Yarely Salazar (211) and Colombian Yeni Lorena Colmenares (199), trailed the Cuban in the podium, who had also won a silver medal in individual pursuit last Wednesday.
This is the fourth time Mejias wins the multiple race event in track cycling in Pan American championships, with a second place in 2014. In the Rio Olympics, the Cuban finished seventh in the same event.
She wrote in her Facebook account she was very happy for reaching the top, despite not feeling to be at her best, and thanked her coach for his trust.
It was also known Mejias was included in the Weber Shimano Ladies Power (UCI Continental) a professional women's cycling team, based in Argentina, which is scheduled to compete in elite road competitions across the globe, starting next January.
Cuba finished fourth in the Pan Am championship with one gold, 2 silver and one bronze medals, behind Colombia (7-5-4), Mexico (6-3-1) and Canada (3-2-4).