PR adds 4 medals, including gold in decathlon, at CAC Games

Víctor Ortiz won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters as Puerto Rico picked up four medals on Tuesday at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo. (COPUR)

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico added four medals to its tally on Tuesday at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games (Santo Domingo 2026), securing one gold, two silver and one bronze medal in athletics.

The gold medal went to Yariel Soto, who was crowned decathlon champion with 7,884 points -- a title Puerto Rico had previously won at San Salvador 2023. Silver medals went to Víctor Ortiz in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14 minutes, 02.74 seconds, and Grace Claxton in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 55.40 seconds. The mixed 4×100 relay team -- comprising Eloy Benítez, Gladymar Torres, Adrián Canales, and Frances Colón -- won the bronze medal following two disqualifications and set a new national record with a time of 41.39 seconds.

In team sports, the Puerto Rican baseball team defeated Colombia 8-6 in the opening game of the Super Round, keeping on track for a spot in the final. The women’s volleyball team lost 3-1 to the Dominican Republic and will face Mexico in the quarterfinals. The women’s handball team lost 29-28 to Cuba in the semifinals and will compete against Mexico for the bronze medal.

In men’s boxing, Juliam Ortiz (65 kilograms/143 pounds) and Ángel Llanos (70 kg/154) advanced to the semifinals, securing at least two bronze medals for Puerto Rico. In table tennis, Adriana Díaz, Brianna Burgos and Kristal Meléndez advanced out of the women’s round of 32, while Jabdiel Torres and Enrique Ríos advanced out of the men’s round of 64. In sailing, several Puerto Rican boats remained in medal contention, while Esmeralda Butler and Gabriel Lavallee qualified for the skateboarding finals. Additionally, Abigail Granell began the qualifying round for the 25-meter pistol event.

As of Wednesday morning, Puerto Rico stood in fifth place in the medal count -- ranked according to gold medals won -- with 76 total medals (19 gold, 26 silver, 31 bronze). Mexico led the count with 279 total medals, including 123 gold, followed by Colombia (181, 61 gold), Cuba (96, 35 gold) and Venezuela (130, 22 gold).