SANTO DOMINGO. Dominican karateka Thalía Terrero won the gold medal this Thursday in the -55 kilogram kumite category at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, defeating Cuban Baurelys Torres with authority 10-3 in the final held at Combat Pavilion 1 of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
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Terrero dominated the fight from start to finish, exhibiting a solid offensive performance that allowed her to open up a wide lead over the Cuban representative, who arrived as one of the main favorites of the division and the reigning Central American champion.
The gold medal represents the consecration of the Dominican athlete in the Central American Games held at home, after missing the San Salvador 2023 edition due to her pregnancy.
In the lead-up to Santo Domingo 2026, Terrero had stated that his greatest motivation was to win a medal in front of his daughter Leah, who became the driving force for his return to the highest competitive level.
The result also confirms the excellent sporting moment of the Dominican karateka, who this year won the gold medal at the Pan American Karate Championships held in Mexico, also in the 55-kilogram category.
With this victory, the Dominican Republic continues to expand its gold medal haul at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, where karate has established itself as one of the disciplines contributing most to the national medal count, thanks to outstanding performances in both kata and kumite.
