Havana, September 10 (RHC) – More than a dozen members of the national pre-selection team are expected to take part in the Gran Retto de Varadero 2026 Open Water Crossing, on the 12th and 13th of this month, in the area adjacent to the Solymar-Arenas Blancas hotel complex.
Four of them will compete in the Pan American series stop for this discipline, which is appearing for the first time in this fifth edition at the famous resort, as announced by Maureen Croes, head of Panam Aquatics, when she attended the event and its organization last year.
The participants in both the men’s and women’s continental phase will compete in a 10-kilometer race on the final day. Representing Cuba will be Daynellys Matos and Elizandro Milián from Cienfuegos, Ana Laura Bermúdez from Villa Clara, and the experienced Vladimir Hernández from Havana, all coached by the national team’s head coach, Mirtha DÃaz.
The specialist added that other members of this group of young swimmers will compete in the Gran Retto—dedicated specifically to masters swimmers in different categories and distances of 700 and 1,500 meters, as well as 3, 5, and 10 kilometers.
Guided at different times by coaches VÃctor GarcÃa, Leonel Ferrer, and Gilberto Lugo, the following athletes are expected to participate: Adrián Jacas, Bruno González, Paulino Velázquez, Camila Plumas, Helen de la Guardia, Yuniskel Clavelo, Jairo Brito, Danilo SavÃn, Alexandro Herrera, Ana LÃa de la Vega, Daynellys Matos, Edison RodrÃguez, Dayán Alonso, and Brayan Fumero, most of whom are from Havana.
This important Caribbean open water swimming competition, organized by Cubadeportes S.A., begins on the 11th with the usual distribution of race packets to veteran, amateur, and elite professional competitors, followed by a press conference at 2:00 p.m. The opening ceremony and the athletes’ parade will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The following day, Saturday, starting early in the morning, the competition will take place in the 750 and 1,500 meters, and the three kilometers, in addition to the three-kilometer race. In the afternoon, the Recreational Sports Festival will be held at the pool on 36th Street.
The Gran Retto will conclude with the medal races in the most coveted distances: five and ten kilometers. The latter event will feature competitors in the Pan American series.
To date, Mexico and Cuba have the most registered participants since the competition’s inception in 2022. Each year, this event brings together lovers of long-distance swimming and the sea, its natural setting, in an experience that combines sport and tourism on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. The fourth edition in 2025 saw a record 600 participants, according to the Havanatur website.
