Venezuela's U-20 football team wins gold, dedicates victory to earthquake victim

Venezuela's U-20 national football team clinched the gold medal at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, dedicating their hard-fought victory to a teammate lost in recent earthquakes.

Goalkeeper Diego Ochoa, visibly emotional, stated, "For Yimvert. This is for Yimvert." The sentiment was echoed in a social media post from the national team: "For you, Venezuela. For you, Yimvert." Yimvert Berrotán, an 18-year-old promising player, was trapped under debris after a seismic event that claimed over 6,000 lives in Venezuela. His former club, UCV FC, retired his number 20 jersey, now a small tribute on the team's shirts.

The U-20 team secured their third gold medal in the competition's history by defeating Mexico 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation time. Venezuela initially led 2-0 with goals from Luis Carrero and Diego Claut, but Mexico's Mateo Levy scored twice to equalize before halftime.

This football triumph was part of a successful day for Venezuela, which also earned gold medals in boxing, canoeing, modern pentathlon, and weightlifting. Olympic medalist Keydomar Vallenilla secured two golds in the 94kg category, expressing satisfaction with the team's performance and setting his sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Despite the string of victories, Venezuela slipped to fifth in the overall medal standings with 44 golds, trailing the Dominican Republic's 45. Mexico, meanwhile, surpassed its previous gold medal record.