Cuban canoeists Yarisleidis Cirilo and Yinnolis Franchesca López will debut today during the opening day of the World Cup in Szeged, Hungary, competing in the women’s double canoe (C-2) 500-meter event.

According to the International Canoe Federation official website, the Caribbean duo will compete in the fourth lane of the third preliminary heat. Their objective is to advance to the semifinals, also scheduled for this Friday, or secure a direct spot in Saturday’s final. Per the tournament regulations, first-place finishers advance directly to the medal race, while boats finishing between second and seventh place must navigate the semifinal stage.

Under the guidance of coach Nelson Perales and physiotherapist Lázaro Pérez, Cirilo and Franchesca López will also compete in the single canoe (C-1) 200-meter event. The heats for this discipline are scheduled for Friday, followed by the semifinals and finals on Sunday. Organizers have confirmed the registration of 648 paddlers from 62 nations, including several Olympic and world medalists.

Before arriving in the Hungarian city, the athletes successfully completed a training camp in Poland, according to Alejandro Hamze, president and national commissioner of canoeing. Hamze noted that both athletes have reached peak competitive form for this World Cup, an event that awards essential points for the world rankings.

Following this event, it will be crucial for the pair to achieve strong results at their next competitive engagement, the World Cup in Brandenburg, Germany, from May 14 to 17. The federation official also stated that upon returning to the Cuban capital, Cirilo and Franchesca López will resume training at the La Coronela reservoir. This site, home to the “José Smith Comas” aquatic track in the province of Artemisa, serves as the general headquarters for Cuban canoeing and rowing.

There, they will continue their preparation for the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the Montreal World Cup in Canada, scheduled for July. Previously, the two canoeists completed successful high-altitude training in Colombia as well as sessions at La Coronela.

Both athletes are also focused on the remaining multi-sport events of the current Olympic cycle: the Lima 2027 Pan American Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Hamze emphasized that they are the leading figures of Cuban canoeing and highlighted their international preparation, which included a productive stay in Portugal. At La Coronela, they shared training sessions with the national short-list of canoeists and kayakers preparing for Santo Domingo.

He reiterated that during their preparation, Cirilo and Franchesca López have shown outstanding performance in both the C-1 and C-2 categories, placing them in the “top tier of international canoeing” in both women's modalities.

Canoeing, particularly the canoe discipline, enjoyed a successful 2025, ending the year with 12 secured spots—a full team—for Santo Domingo 2026. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Cirilo earned a bronze medal in the C-1 200m, while Franchesca López joined her in the C-2 500m, where they reached the A Final.

In 2025, Cirilo reached the A Finals at the World Cups in Szeged and Poznan, Poland. This served as a prelude to her subsequent success, winning gold and silver medals in the C-1 200m at the U-23 and Senior World Championships in Portugal and Italy, respectively.

On the men’s side, José Ramón Pelier stood out by winning gold and silver in the C-1 5,000m at the Szeged and Poznan world events. Additionally, Franchesca López earned recognition by placing eighth for the Panam Sports Junior Athlete Achievement Award following her performance at the II Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay. There, she won four medals: three gold (C-1 200m, C-2 500m, and Mixed C-2 500m) and one bronze (C-1 500m).

With this performance, the young athlete from Villa Clara emerged as one of the top medalists of the Cuban delegation in Paraguay, where Cuban paddlers secured a total of nine medals. In canoeing, a discipline where Cuba has historically excelled with Olympic and world champions, maximum quotas are only awarded to the highest-performing countries in the region, including Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

The rest of the national pre-selection team continues training at La Coronela, maintaining their focus on the upcoming challenges in Santo Domingo.