Cuban Yarisleidis Cirilo Wins Silver at the Canoeing World Championships in Italy

Cuban Yarisleidis Cirilo won the silver medal this Sunday in the 200-meter C1 final at the Canoe World Championships held in Milan, Italy. With a time of 46.27 seconds, the Cuban was just 0.001 seconds behind Ukrainian Liudmyla Luzan (46.09), Olympic bronze medalist at Tokyo 2021, who won the title with a lightning-fast finish. The podium was completed by Russian Evgeniia Shliapnikova (46.59). The final was a high-tension contest, with Cirilo launching from the first stroke of the paddle and not giving up a meter until her last breath, proof of the greatness of an athlete who reaffirms herself among the best in the world. This silver medal adds to the Guantanamo native’s trophy cabinet, having already won the U-23 world championship this year in Italy, an Olympic bronze medal in Paris 2024, and an absolute world champion in 2023. Canadian Katie Vincent, the reigning Olympic champion, was absent from the podium. She was among the favorites but couldn’t respond in the decisive meters. With more than 1,400 athletes from 75 countries participating, this 50th edition of the competition awarded 24 canoeing crowns and 12 paracanoeing crowns, marking the official start of the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.