César Amaris and José Guipe win rowing gold for Venezuela at 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games

Venezuela has claimed its first gold medals at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, thanks to a dominant performance by rowers César Amaris and José Guipe. The pair triumphed in the men's lightweight double sculls, crossing the finish line with a commanding time of 6:48.30.

Amaris and Guipe, who previously represented Venezuela at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, controlled the final from start to finish. Their performance secured Venezuela's inaugural gold medal of the current Games and marked a personal triumph for Guipe, who had won silver in the same event at the San Salvador 2023 games.

The Venezuelan rowing team's success extended beyond the men's event. Keyla García and Kimberlin Moreno also earned a silver medal in the women's double sculls, finishing with a time of 7:32.78. This early success in rowing positions Venezuela strongly in the initial stages of the competition, having already secured one gold and one silver medal.