The Dominican Republic hosted the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games from July 24 to August 8, 2026, a special edition since it marked the 100th anniversary of the competition.
The Dominican Republic hosted the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games from July 24 to August 8, 2026, a special edition as it marked the centenary of the competition. Competing in 13 disciplines, Haiti wraps up this campaign with five medals: one gold, one silver, and three bronze, earning them 19th place out of 28 delegations. An outcome that brings some nice highlights, but also several missed opportunities and performances below expectations.Taekwondo turned out to be the biggest medal winner. Jessica Lee, in the under-62 kg category, took gold after beating El Salvador’s Alisson Montano (2-0), the Dominican Mayerlin Mejía (2-1), and Mexico’s Karla Rodriguez (2-0) in the final. Ava Soon Lee, in the under-73 kg category, won bronze after a quarterfinal victory over Honduras’ Mayra Cartajena (2-0), a semifinal loss to Cuba’s Arlettys Acosta, the eventual champion, and then a win against Mexico’s Isabella Lovaglio (2-0). The other two competitors, Shean Jaylen Laloan and Matthew Jean-Baptiste, were eliminated in their first matches. So Haitian taekwondo comes away with a gold and a bronze, in a sport that’s really shown its regional potential.
Artistic skating gave Haiti its first medal at the Games. Valentina Francesca Lalanne, competing in solo dance, won silver behind Colombian María Paulina Pérez and ahead of Mexican Brenda Salazar. This medal marks a historic achievement for the delegation.
In boxing, Haiti brought home two bronzes. In the -51 kg category, Saintelise Jean beat Puerto Rican Jenelie Ramirez (4-1) in the quarters before losing in the semi-final to Mexican Valeria Amparan (5-0). In the -80 kg category, Cedrick Belony-Duliepre, who had already won bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, beat Guatemalan Jorge Ochoa (4-1) and Nicaraguan Wilberth Vega (5-0) before losing in the semi-final to Venezuelan Diego Pereyra. The other five boxers—Katianna Petit-Homme, Welineton Cénéus, Geronimo Seïde, Carly Pierre, and Robenson Célestin—did not reach the semi-finals.In 3×3 basketball, Haiti showed improvement compared to 2023. Jean Woodlay Ulysse, Marc Roosevelt Gabriel, Fritz Salvant Lorentz, and Kervenson Blanc, under the direction of Jean Alex Joinville, beat Guyana before losing to Puerto Rico. Then defeated by the Dominican Republic, the Grenadiers won their two classification games against Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to finish 5th, compared to 7th place in 2023.
In athletics, Haiti only had one representative, Christopher Bozor, who ultimately did not start the 100 m. So the discipline did not produce any Haitian results to record in the rankings.In road cycling, Louisemene Georges retired on the second lap when she was previously in 7th position. In the men’s race, Wilson Sanon also retired with two laps to go. His race was disrupted by problems with water supplies and coordination within the staff. While in artistic gymnastics, Pierre Yvenel Stephan was unable to continue competing after a partial rupture of the Achilles tendon. He left Santo Domingo to return to France, where he was scheduled to undergo surgery.Table tennis, represented by Donika Saint-Fleur, ended in the round of 32. After dominating Saint Lucian Leshon Francis 4-1, the Haitian player was defeated 4-0 by Dominican Isaac Vila. In triathlon, Haiti was individually represented by Gioberti Dérogène and Latifah Lowery. Both athletes recorded a DNF/LAP, failing to complete their event. For coach Georges Gay, the main goal was to give the team experience for future competitions.
Swimming had three representatives. Raphaël Grand’Pierre competed in five events: 14th out of 27 in the 100 m butterfly (55.86 s), 12th out of 35 in the 100 m freestyle (51.12 s), 13th out of 21 in the 200 m freestyle (1 min 56.48 s), 11th out of 34 in the 50 m butterfly (25.12 s), and 13th in the 50 m freestyle (23.21 s). His standout moment was his national record in the 100 m freestyle, achieved in the B final, where he finished second behind Jamaican Nathaniel Thomas. Mayah Chouloute, competing in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle as well as the 100 m butterfly, finished 29th out of 36, 29th out of 32, and 19th out of 24, respectively. The third swimmer, Beaumanoir Amprey Toussaint, participated in diving.
Speaking of diving, Amprey Toussaint competed on the 1 m and 3 m springboards. He didn’t place in the communicated results, while both titles were won by Mexican Osmar Olvera, notably with 430.85 points on the 1 m and 535.30 on the 3 m.Weightlifting, despite being considered one of the disciplines likely to offer a podium, left a feeling of incompleteness. Jasili Polynis, in the 53 kg category, finished 9th out of 10 after successfully lifting 70 kg in the snatch and 84 kg in the clean and jerk. Viollanda Oracin, the main Haitian hope, took 5th place twice in the 58 kg category: 85 kg in the snatch and 107 kg in the clean and jerk, failing at 112 kg after feeling some discomfort. Kimberson Pierre, 17 years old and the youngest weightlifter in the tournament, placed 5th in the snatch with 133 kg, then 9th in the overall ranking after successfully lifting 150 kg in the clean and jerk. The other competitors, including Ketlene Primot, Kyarrah Sanaika Love Dezanne, Kenney Wolsky Luberiste, Felix Julio Louis, and Francia Louis, did not achieve results significant enough to impact the delegation’s ranking.Finally, chess saw participation without any medals. In rapid chess, Davidson Gabriel finished 13th out of 16 with 4.5 points, and Marckens Jean-Louis 16th with 2.5 points. Among women, Rose Berline Seine took 11th place out of 15 with 4.5 points, while Merisena Cadeau finished last with zero points. In blitz, Gabriel finished 9th with 6 points, Jean-Louis 13th with 4 points, Seine 11th with 5 points, and Cadeau last with zero points.
In the overall rankings, Mexico dominated by far with 407 medals (167 gold, 125 silver, 115 bronze), ahead of Colombia with 266 medals (91-98-77) and Cuba with 155 (51-48-56). The host country, the Dominican Republic, finished 5th with 150 medals (46-37-67).For Haiti, the outcome is therefore twofold: five medals and a 19th place, but also a heavy reliance on a few individuals. Jessica Lee, Valentina Francesca Lalanne, Ava Soon Lee, Saintelise Jean, and Cedrick Belony-Duliepre carried most of Haiti’s results. Otherwise, Santo Domingo 2026 mainly served as a spotlight: the potential is there, but athletic depth, consistency in performance, preparation, and support remain the main areas to work on before the next international competitions.
