Venezuela won the gold medal in the soccer tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, on a day marked by the tribute to Yimvert Berrotán, a promising 18-year-old young man who died during the earthquakes that shook the north of the country.
The Vinotinto U-20 beat Mexico 3-2 in the penalty shootout, after an exciting 2-2 draw during the 90 minutes. Luis Carrero put Venezuela ahead in the first minute and Diego Claut extended the lead in the 29th minute. Mexico reacted before the break with a double from Mateo Levy, who scored in the 24th and 45th minutes +3.
After the penalty shootout, the Venezuelans celebrated what is Venezuela’s third gold in soccer in the history of the Central American and Caribbean Games.
The victory had a special dedication to Berrotán, a teammate of several members of the team and a UCV FC player. The footballer was trapped in the rubble after the earthquakes that affected Venezuela.
“For Yimvert. This is for Yimvert,” goalkeeper Diego Ochoa said excitedly after the match. UCV FC later retired the number 20 that Berrotán used as a tribute to the young promise.
The day was also especially productive for Venezuela, which won titles in boxing, canoeing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting.
In this last discipline, Keydomar Vallenilla, Olympic medalist, shone, winning two gold medals in the 94 kilogram category. The Venezuelan is already aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where he will seek to climb back to the top of the podium.
“A very good competition. Despite the heat, we were able to capture what we had been working for and that is important. I am super happy with all the work done,” declared Vallenilla.
Despite its haul of titles, Venezuela occupies fifth place in the medal table with 44 golds, one less than the Dominican Republic. Mexico leads the classification and already has 164 gold medals and 395 medals, surpassing the record of 145 gold titles that it had established in San Salvador 2023.
