It was not an easy match against a rival she barely knew, so I dedicated myself to studying her in the first set, and then I went out to put the shuttlecock in play. The Cuban Taymara Oropesa was revealed after defeating Mexican Vanesa García in the women’s badminton grand final at the Central American and Caribbean Games, hosted in Santo Domingo.

Oropesa, silver in the same category in the previous editions of Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023, confessed to the press gathered in the table tennis pavilion at the so-called Parque del Este that the strategy consisted of playing long points and physically wearing down her rival: «even if I also got tired, I felt that in that respect I was better prepared,» she added.

When asked about the thoughts that arose after conceding the first set, she highlighted that when a set ends, regardless of the result, the next one begins with a score of zero-zero and a new story begins to be woven on both sides of the net.

In my case, I also started attacking García’s left side, on the instruction of my coaches, and playing at a slower pace, knowing the speed of a much younger opponent, she acknowledged.

Orlando Cala, national commissioner and president of the Cuban Badminton Federation, was satisfied with Oropesa’s performance, although he admitted that she made a mistake in strategy at the start, only to recover afterwards and deliver a memorable performance.

Taymara Oropesa, recognised for years as the main figure of this discipline in Cuba, includes in her record the crowns in doubles, mixed and women’s, in Veracruz 2014 and Barranquilla 2018, respectively.