CubaPLUS Magazine

Small countries, great feats at the Paris Olympics

By: CubaPLUS Magazine
Aug 09, 2024
Small countries, great feats at the Paris Olympics

As the imaginary curtains of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games draw to a close, the time for the recounts also holds memorable spaces for small countries and their great feats.

paris2024-atletismo-triplesalto-fem-thea-lafond-t-01.jpgBy his own right, Cuban Mijaín López, gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in the highest category, heads the list.

At 41 years of age, he became the first athlete in history to win five successive Olympic titles in the same number of Games.

Leader of the delegation of the largest island of the Antilles, Mijaín achieved unanimous recognition to the point that the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, came to see him complete his feat.

paris2024-greco-cuba-Luis-Orta-t-03.jpgAlong with the giant from the western province of Pinar del Río, the young 24-year-old boxer Erislandy Alvarez gave Cuba another gold medal in Paris 2024, with the additional merit of having achieved it against a local idol in the lightweight division, Sofiane Oumiha.

For her part, the Cuban fighter Yusneylis Guzmán won the silver medal in the 50 kilo freestyle, a medal to which three bronze medals were added, from the boxer Arlen López and two other fighters, Gabriel Rosillo and Luis Alberto Orta.

From Saint Lucia, a small Caribbean island that changed hands 14 times between the United Kingdom and France, in 1979 it achieved its independence, bringing to Paris, Julien Alfred, a young woman with little experience in athletics, but sending constant signals to the sprinters.

So much so, that Alfred dominated the 100m in a thrilling race at the Stade de France, and then won silver in the 200m, beaten in extremis by the American Gabrielle Thomas.

Paris-2024-Erislandy-Alvarez-t-02.jpgSaint Lucia (184,000 inhabitants) is not much bigger than Dominica (73,000), but both Caribbean islands have something in common: two female athletes who have won Olympic gold medals. Thea LaFond is the Dominican figure who won the triple jump.

LaFond, 30, has been making her mark for a while and only the presence in the event of the Venezuelan and world record holder Yulimar Rojas, somewhat overshadowed her successes.

The South American was injured, and while the Spanish Ana Peleteiro and the Cuban Leyanis Perez wasted their moment, the Dominican found hers.

Jamaica can never be left out of this list. Athletics is its trump card and it has already caused a surprise in the discus, with Rose Sotana, who ascended the discus throne with 70.00 meters, an Olympic record, in her fourth throw.

She thus surpassed the holder of the world record, Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna (69.97), who took the silver, while Australian Matthew Denny (69.31) won bronze. The Caribbean island of nearly three million inhabitants also won three silver medals and two bronze ones, and should add more laurels in athletics.
(Taken from Prensa Latina)

Advertisement
Get it on Google Play