Yohandri Granado secured the top spot on the podium by defeating David Millan 2-1.
On Monday, Venezuelan athlete Yohandri Granado won the gold medal in the men’s under-63-kilogram taekwondo category at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.
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With the victory, the Paris 2024 Olympian ended a more than decade-long gold medal drought for Venezuela in the sport, a regional milestone that had not been achieved since Adriana Martinez’s triumph in 2014.
Granado secured the top spot on the podium by defeating Mexico’s David Millan 2-1 in the final after overcoming Nicaragua’s Aldo Blanco in the semifinals.
The decisive bout began with the Mexican representative taking the lead after winning the opening round 3-0 with a head kick. However, the Venezuelan adjusted his offense in the second round, landing three body kicks to claim a 6-3 victory and force a deciding round.
YOHANDRI GRANADO
CAMPEÓN DE JUEGOS
CAC 2026 EN TAEKWONDO -63 KGS pic.twitter.com/ueTTm3MXVv— Barry Cartaya (@cartayabarry) July 27, 2026
The text reads, “Yohandri Granado. champion in taekwondo -63 kgs in CAC 2026 games.”
In the final round, a technical penalty (Gam-jeom) against the Mexican competitor decided the match, with Granado prevailing 3-2.
The Santo Domingo games also produced positive results for the rest of the Venezuelan delegation in the combat sport. The South American team won a silver medal through Yoel Diaz in the men’s under-58-kilogram category and a bronze medal through Juan Grimaldo in the men’s under-54-kilogram division.
At the conclusion of the competition, Granado dedicated his victory to the people of Venezuela, who were affected by two earthquakes on June 24. “We are going to rise up, and we are going to be reborn,” he said.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: teleSUR – Sports Ministry
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