Hosts Guatemala won five of the six titles available as Canoe Sprint became an official medal event at the Central American Games Guatemala 2025.
Held from October 25 to 26 in Peten, Guatemala, it marked a historic achievement as paddle sport has now featured at all multi-sport Games held in the Americas.
A total of 16 athletes - eight men and eight women - from Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala competed for medals in six events at the Games.
Guatemala 2025 also hosted two exhibition races, with the conditions providing the ideal setting for athletes to prepare for the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2026, to be held in the Dominican Republic.
Elder Eduardo Garcia Chavez led from the front for the hosts, winning the men’s kayak single 1000m title, clocking 3:58.57.
Luis Alberto Jarquin Potoy of Nicaragua and Andres Gladimir Cabb of Belize won silver and bronze, respectively.
A very exciting men’s K1 200m final saw Chavez give it his all, but it was Nicaraguan Potoy who emerged victorious.
In what was the country’s only gold medal in the sport, Potoy pipped Chavez by less than a second, crossing the line in 40.51. Belize had another bronze medal thanks to Cristian Arnold Lopez.
The women’s K1 200m saw Nataly Alessandra Gonzalez Ramirez stand on top of the podium, adding to the hosts’ haul.
She finished in 47.23, which was enough to beat Honduran Carolina Daibert Moncorvo, as Nicaraguan paddler Victoria Marisol Jarquin Potoy secured bronze.
The women’s K1 500 saw the three women occupy the same positions on the podium again. Ramirez showed her class, timing 2:12.26 for the gold medal.
The women’s and men’s kayak double 500m finals belonged to Guatemala as well, as Katerin Esperanza combined superbly with Angelita Bolvito.
The duo were unstoppable, posting a massive 12.34 seconds faster than the Nicaraguans Tiffany Ramirez and Victoria Jarquin, who crossed the line in 2:15.78.
In the men’s K2 500m medal race, Franco Burgos and Edras Diaz gave the hosts their final gold medal of the competition in 01:51.05.
Pictures by Guatemala 2025.
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