The women’s handball team won the silver medal this Thursday after losing to the Cuban team at the Central American and Caribbean Games, San Salvador 2023.
The first 60 minutes culminated in a 26-26 tie and after extra time the Puerto Ricans were unable to come back and lost 29-28.
After qualifying for the semifinals, the team captain, Natalys Caraballo, announced that staying focused would be key to getting the medal in this final.
“This match was not for the faint of heart. Ball after ball. Minute after minute. Each one focused on our role. The most important thing is to trust our teammates, that’s why we got the victory today. Now we are going to stay focused, to achieve the objective that is that gold medal”.
It is the seventh participation of the women’s national handball team in the Games. They debuted in Ponce, Puerto Rico 1993 without medals. In 1998 in Maracaibo, Venezuela the event was not held. In the next two games, San Salvador 2022 and Cartagena 2006 returned with two bronze medals, events that were held at the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic sub-venue. In the editions of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 2010, Veracruz, México 2014 and Barranquilla, Colombia 2018 they won silver. In total, the women have five medals, three silver and two bronze. In the team there are six leading athletes who are multiple medalists from the Cartagena 2006 Games to Barranquilla 2018 with three silver medals and one bronze. These are: Roxanaly Carrasquillo, Kitsa Escobar, Sheila Hiraldo, Nathaly Ceballos, Jacqueline González and Ciris García
