2026 Central American and Caribbean Games: Gold rush for Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala

The azure Caribbean waters off its southern coast may be what makes Santo Domingo famous but the capital of the Dominican Republic was all about the colour gold last week.

At the 2026 edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games, gold medals were shared among three nations with the traditional dominance of regional powerhouse Mexico broken up by both Guatemala and Venezuela.

Having claimed silver medals at three-straight editions of the South and Pan-American Championships, Sofia Cabrera of Guatemala made a personal breakthrough with a brilliant victory in the Women’s competition. Cabrera (GUA) held off a spirited assault from Catherine Mayran Oliver (MEX) to win by eight seconds. Bronze went to Osmaidy Arias of Venezuela.

With Cuba, Panama and the host nation also among the six countries competing, the quality of action stayed high with two-time Olympian Duilio Carillo (MEX) leading home a 1-2-3 of Mexican teammates in the Men’s Final. Veteran Manuel Padilla occupied the second step on the podium with compatriot Yael Marmolejo, 11 years his junior, rewarded with bronze.

Juan Ochoa made up for the disappointment of finishing fourth in the Men’s competition by combining with Marcos Garcia to deliver Men’s Relay gold for Guatemala, seeing off the challenge of Venezuela and Mexico to triumph.

The Women’s Relay saw Arias and Giraly Marcano team up to great effect securing a first gold of the week for Venezuela in comprehensive fashion. Meanwhile Oliver and Marmolejo (MEX) ensured a familiar flag was raised highest after the Mixed Relay.

President of NORCECA Magdalena Quintanilla (GUA) said: “The competition demonstrated the growing development of Modern Pentathlon within the region. Beyond the competitive results, the participation of these countries strengthened technical cooperation, encouraged the exchange of knowledge, and reinforced the commitment of national federations to the continued growth of the sport.

“Special recognition should be given to the Technical Delegates, International Technical Officials, National Technical Officials, venue management personnel, timing and scoring teams, and all individuals directly involved in the competition.”

During the competition, several productive meetings were held with regional and international sports leaders to discuss the future of Modern Pentathlon. Discussion topics included a focus on the future of the sport and the specific needs of the region, strengthening institutional cooperation and reaffirming the commitment to supporting the development of Pentathlon throughout the region and strategies to promote the sport at the regional level.