Both male and female Cuban teams completely dominated their competition at the at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. In the men’s competition, Sergio Gonzalez and Nivaldo Diaz defended their titles by beating Mexicans Juan Pulido and Rodolfo Gomez 2-1 (23-21, 18-21, 15-13).
“This was the goal of this year and we got it, it was a demanding game, I failed in complex 1 (reception), but my partner at all times gave me encouragement, and that motivated me.” – Gonzalez
“It really was a demanding game. We were confident of our ability and things went quite well. I think the audience enjoyed it, there were good rallies and a lot of intensity in the game. We respect Mexico a lot, it’s a great team, but we got the best out of us.” – Diaz
In the women’s competition, Leila Martinez and Maylen Deliz defeated hosts Diana Arcila and Yuli Machado 2-0 (21-8, 21-14). This was Martinez’s second gold medal, as she defended her title won in Veracruz four years ago.
“We dedicate it to all the people who supported us and helped us prepare for these Games. I thank God for this medal, it came with lot of sacrifice.” – Martinez
“This medal was missing from the Cuban delegation, it is for all our partners. It’s special because we trained for this, we gave ourselves fully and here’s the result.” – Diaz
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