SANTO DOMINGO. The Colombia national team secured its spot in the final of the men’s water polo tournament at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, after defeating Mexico 16-11 in the semifinal held at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center aquatic park.
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The coffee-growing team, which arrived undefeated as the leader of Group A with a 3-0 record and had previously eliminated Guatemala in the quarterfinals, confirmed its status as the favorite and will compete for the gold medal against the winner of the duel between Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Mexico, second in Group B with a 2-1 record and winner over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, offered resistance for much of the match, but never managed to reduce the deficit to less than two goals.
Colombia dominated the first half 7-5, after prevailing 5-4 in the first period and 2-1 in the second. Although the Mexicans closed the gap to 10-8 in the third quarter, the South Americans responded with an offensive that allowed them to close that stretch with a 12-8 lead. In the final quarter, they maintained control of the game until sealing the victory.
The Colombian attack was led by Alejandro Saldarriaga, who scored five goals, while Juan Vallejo contributed four. Juan Zuluaga and Santiago Cuervo also scored with two goals each, in addition to Carlos Sánchez, Sebastián Rendón, and Jean López, with one goal apiece.
For Mexico, Rafael Martínez was the top scorer with three goals. Diego Lucero, Diego Mercado, and Pablo Coraza added two goals each, while Iann García and Matthew Morán completed the offense with one goal.
The medal round for men’s water polo will take place this Saturday, July 25. The matches for the fifth to eighth place classification will begin at 2:00 PM, while the bronze medal match and subsequently the grand final for the gold will start from 5:00 PM.
