Mexico’s recurve success continued through top seed Matias Grande, who overcame Colombia’s Jorge Enriquez 6-4 to add the individual title to his mixed team and men’s team gold medals.
Despite standing on top of the podium, Grande admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his performance, pointing to the difficult conditions in Santo Domingo and the score he produced.
“The weather was really tough, and I know it’s something I need to improve because even though I won, I feel like my score was low,” Grande told Claro Sports.
“But I came here for a medal, I wanted to be champion, and I became the champion. I’d had a huge thorn in my side for the past three years because I hadn’t been able to win a medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games.”
Mexico added another podium through Raul Tadeo Rodríguez López, who defeated Cuba’s Hugo Franco in a shoot-off. Rodriguez Lopez sealed victory with a 10, while Franco could only manage a nine.
Olympic medallist Alejandra Valencia successfully defended her recurve women’s title with a 6-2 victory over compatriot Ana Paula Vazquez, repeating the same gold-silver finish the pair produced at Barranquilla 2018.
Having shared the field and the podium countless times, both archers knew exactly what to expect from the all-Mexican final.
“We already know what each of us is capable of, so our job was to focus on our own game,” Valencia said.
Vazquez admitted facing her teammate always demands extra concentration but said the result was ultimately a victory for Mexico.
“Competing against Ale is always tough because you have to stay extra focused. The good thing is that, at the end of the day, whoever won, Mexico won, and that was the most important thing for us and for the country,” she said.
“Of course, I would have loved to win, but if it wasn’t going to be me, I’m happy it was Ale.”
Colombia’s Ana Maria Rendon prevented an all-Mexican podium by defeating Angela Ruiz 6-4 to secure the bronze medal.
