Colombian javelin thrower Flor Denis Ruiz (© Getty Images)
Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino completed a double in the 400m and mixed relay while Flor Denis Ruiz improved her South American record and Jose Figueroa rewrote the record books on the first four days of competition at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.
On the opening day at the stadium, Paulino overcame a sizable deficit with the leading Puerto Rican team to bring home the first gold to the host country in the mixed 4x400m relay. Her anchor leg of 48.51 led the team to defend their title in 3:10.57, more than four seconds faster than their winning time at the 2023 Games.
Erick Sánchez, Anabel Medina and Christopher Melenciano completed the quartet for the Dominican Republic.
Two days later, Paulino returned to the Felix Sanchez stadium and successfully defended her 400m title in 48.94, a 1.01-second improvement on her previous Games record. She was joined on the podium by her training partner and world finalist Roxana Gomez of Cuba (49.95) and Olympic 800m finalist Shafiqua Maloney of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (51.77).
Gabriel Moronta sealed the Dominican double in the one-lap race with the men’s title in 44.70, ahead of Mexico’s Luis Aviles (45.06) and Venezuela’s Javier Gomez (45.07). The trio denied a medal to Grenada’s triple Olympic medallist Kirani James, the region’s most successful 400m runner ever.
Colombia’s 2023 world silver medallist Flor Denis Ruiz threw a massive 67.34m to retain her javelin title. The 35-year-old broke her own South American record and moves to second on this year’s world list. It was her third victory at the CAC Games, having won her first title back in 2014.
Following his impressive opening leg in the mixed relay for Puerto Rico, Jose Figueroa continued his best season ever as he smashed the CAC Games 200m record in the semifinals on Wednesday with 19.76, moving him to sixth on this year’s world list. He will go for gold on Thursday (6).
Other standout performances came in the hurdles with Colombia’s Maria Murillo and Panama’s Giana Woodruff. Murillo became the third fastest South American sprint hurdler with a national record in the 100m hurdles (12.64), in a close battle with Greisys Roble of Cuba (12.68).
In her third CAC Games, Woodruff finally secured gold for Panama in the women’s 400m hurdles, doing so with a Games record of 53.98. Dominican Republic’s Yeral Nunez won the men’s race in 48.30.
Other Games record breakers were Cuba’s Dayi Cooper in 1500m (4:07.46), Dominican Republic’s Liranyi Alonzo in the 100m (11.10), and Alvaro Abreu (1:02:48) and Mexico’s Laura Galvan (1:13:43) the half marathon.
South American record-holder Ronald Longa became the first Colombian ever to win the men’s 100m (10.06) while newly minted world U20 record holder Jorge Hodelin of Cuba took the long jump title with 8.23m.
In her fifth CAC Games, Puerto Rico’s Alysbeth Felix finally enjoyed her first regional crown with the gold medal in the long jump (6.54m). She also leads the heptathlon after day one. She won bronze medals in both events in 2023.
World silver medallist Alegna Gonzalez and Ricardo Ortiz completed a Mexican double in the half marathon race walk.
The world’s oldest regional multisport event, the CAC Games, were inaugurated in 1926 and celebrate their centennial edition in Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic previously hosted the Games in 1974 and 1986.
The athletics competition will end on 8 August.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics