Twenty-four hours after a joyous Opening Ceremony at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez, the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games delivered their first full day of medal competition on Saturday, July 25 — and it did not disappoint. From a home-crowd roar in the judo hall to a golden double in archery and a water polo classic decided in the final seconds, Santo Domingo’s first day of finals set the tone for what promises to be a fiercely contested Centennial Games.
Medal Table: Mexico Opens a Big Lead
Mexico left no doubt about its intentions on day one, topping the medal table with 7 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze medals for 18 total, built on strong showings in archery, rowing, badminton, taekwondo, judo, and open water swimming. Cuba sat second with 8 total medals, and Venezuela rounded out the early top three. Host nation Dominican Republic began its account with a silver in men’s lightweight double sculls before adding judo gold later in the day.
Cycling: Time Trial Golds for Colombia and Cuba
The road cycling time trials on Santo Domingo’s Malecón (Avenida George Washington) produced two of the day’s most emotional victories.
In the men’s 30km individual time trial, Colombia’s Walter Vargas finally claimed the gold that eluded him at the 2018 and 2023 editions, stopping the clock at 47:13 and finishing nearly two minutes clear of Mexico’s Edgar Cadena (silver) and Sebastián Ruiz (bronze). The 34-year-old, one of the region’s most consistent time trial specialists over the past several years, called it “the biggest pending account of my career.”
On the women’s side, Cuba’s Marlies Mejías delivered the island’s first gold of the Games, powering through crosswinds off the Caribbean Sea at an average of 44.7 km/h to win in 40:15.79. Mexico’s Sara Roel took silver in 40:33.51, with Trinidad and Tobago’s Teniel Campbell claiming bronze in 40:59.31.
Water Polo: Puerto Rico Repeats as Men’s Champion
Puerto Rico defended its San Salvador 2023 title in dramatic fashion, defeating Colombia 16-12 in the men’s water polo final at the Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte. The Puerto Ricans broke the game open in the second period, outscoring Colombia 6-3 to take a 10-7 lead into the break, and finished the job with strong shooting from the perimeter and on power plays. Mexico took bronze, beating Cuba 17-13 earlier in the day. The win marked Puerto Rico’s first gold medal of the Games and punched the team’s ticket to Lima 2027.
Judo: The Host Nation Strikes Gold
The Centro Olímpico’s judo pavilion — freshly renovated for these Games — delivered one of the day’s loudest celebrations when Ana Rosa García gave the Dominican Republic its first gold medal of Santo Domingo 2026, winning the women’s -57kg final over Colombia’s María Villalba by ippon. The victory, which came with President Luis Abinader calling to congratulate her afterward, avenged García’s bronze-medal finish at San Salvador 2023. The Dominican Republic added a full set of judo hardware on the day: silver from Estefanía Soriano (-48kg) and bronze medals from Diego García (-60kg) and Samantha Josefa (-52kg). Cuba was the dominant force on the mat overall, taking three golds through Jonathan Charon (-60kg), Orlando Polanco (-66kg), and Dalí Sentmanat (-52kg).
Archery: Mexico Sweeps the Recurve Team Events
Mexico’s archers delivered a perfect day, sweeping both recurve team golds against Colombia. The women’s team of Alejandra Valencia, Ángela Ruiz, and Ana Paula Vázquez — the same trio that won Olympic bronze at Paris 2024 — edged Colombia 5-1 in a tightly fought final decided by tiebreak-level precision across three sets (56-56, 57-53, 56-55). Hours later, the men’s team of Matías Grande, Francisco Padilla, and Raúl Rodríguez completed the sweep with a 6-2 win over Colombia that went the distance, closing out a four-set battle 52-51 in the decider.
Looking Ahead
With basketball, softball, and gymnastics also underway, and swimming, boxing, and athletics still to come, day one was only a preview of the depth of competition on offer in Santo Domingo. fourteen days remain until the Closing Ceremony on August 8 — plenty of time for Mexico’s early lead to be challenged, and for the host nation to add to a golden start that began, fittingly, in front of its own crowd.
Mexico didn’t just win the Centennial Games — it dominated them from […]
The XXV Central American and Caribbean Games came to an emotional close […]
The XXV Central American and Caribbean Games hit full stride over the […]
In a thrilling game, the Colombian national team defeated Puerto Rico 3–2 […]
The fifth day of competition at the XXV Central American and Caribbean […]
Mexico is aiming to win its third consecutive title at the Central […]
The wait is almost over. In just five days, the eyes of […]
Nearly a century after the vision for a regional multi-sport competition was […]
The Central American and Caribbean Games are already in the air. For […]