Aracena Wins Kata Gold; Dominican Republic Sweeps

Dominican karateka Larry Aracena clinched his first gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games, triumphing in the men's kata event. He secured the top spot by defeating Guatemala's Fernando Calderón 3-2 in a closely contested final.

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This is incredible, everything is good, I still don't believe it, but I worked hard.

"This is incredible, everything is good, I still don't believe it, but I worked hard," a smiling Aracena told EFE shortly after leaving the tatami. He expressed immense happiness with the result and extended his gratitude for the overwhelming support from Dominicans who filled the stands.

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I am very grateful for all the support that my family, my friends, the public, the dojo where I train, the (Dominican) Karate Federation, everyone has given me.

Aracena dedicated his victory to "the entire country" that, he said, has believed in karate's ability to represent Dominicans well in the Games. His path to gold included earlier wins against Cuba's Víctor Sánchez (5-0) and Costa Rica's Joshua Núñez (4-1).

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I am very happy for the result and I thank the Dominicans who filled the stands.

The win marked the second consecutive kata gold for the Dominican Republic. This followed María Dimitrova's dominant performance in the women's kata, where she secured her sixth consecutive gold medal at the Games. Dimitrova, a multiple medalist, announced her retirement from individual competition after the team kata event on Thursday, with Aracena being one of her students.

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I dedicate this triumph to the entire country that, he said, has believed that karate will also 'show its face' for Dominicans in the Games.