Colombian boxers Ingrit Valencia (50 kg), Yeni Arias (54 kg) and Angie Paola Valdés (60 kg) won gold medals this Wednesday in San Salvador in their respective finals at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
The coffee makers arrived as favorites and asserted that condition in the ring with dominant performances.
Such was the case of Valencia, Olympic bronze medalist in Rio 2016 and pioneer of Colombian women’s boxing, who won by unanimous decision in her fight against Guatemalan Aylin Jamez.
“The idea was to go out and not look for her, for her to throw the blows to be able to counterattack her and that is what we went out to do and thank God it was given to us,” Valencia told EFE.
In an intense fight, with many shots in the short field and to the body, Yeni Arias triumphed in the closest fight -split decision- of all for the Andeans in her fight against the Dominican Estefany Almanzar.
In the 60 kg, Angie Paola Valdés obtained the third gold medal for the Colombians after completely dominating the Dominican Jessica Muñoz in the 60 kg.
Puerto Rico was the second most successful delegation after the women’s boxing finals with two gold medals.
Puerto Ricans Ashleyann Lozada (57 kg) and Stephanie Piñeiro (66 kg) led the island to the top of the podium this Wednesday.
In the last fight of the day, the Panamanian Atheyna Bylon, current middleweight world runner-up, defeated the Mexican Citlalli Ortiz by unanimous decision, who at times gave the canalera indigestion for her offensive style and for taking advantage of the difference in height , since the Central American takes more than one head.
Byalon told EFE about Ortiz: “She is a rival who always goes forward but in the moments that I was able to connect her and throw the blows well.”