For the first time in 24 years, Cuba is hosting an international aquatics competition as the country re-opens its doors to the world.
The Union Americana de Natacion, the organization that organizes the major international aquatic sporting events in the Americas, is bringing the Pan American junior diving championships to Mantazas this week. It’s the first FINA-sanctioned meet to be held in Cuba since 1991’s Pan American Games, which was the first time Americans had set foot in the country since the early 1960s.
Though other countries did not have diplomatic sanctions to then-Communist Cuba as strong as the U.S. sanctions, Cuba had difficulty getting major competitions on the island. Cuba bid for the 1987 Pan American Games, but the United States won that vote. By allowing Americans to attend the 1991 Pan American Games, the U.S. State Department temporarily lifted the travel ban for American citizens into Cuba for the two-week event.
A shift in policy last year between the United States and Cuba is likely to bring more competitions of this type to Cuba, where athletes such as swimmer Hanser Garcia and diver Jose Guerra trained to place in the top eight in the 2012 Olympics.
A total of 130 competitors from 10 countries will compete at the Mantanzas Aquatics Center on the southern shore of the island nation for the Pan American junior diving championships. The host nation will have the second-largest delegation at meet with 25 divers, with Mexico sending 34 athletes to the competition. Athletes will compete in three age groups on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard, as well as on various heights in platform diving.
Among the defending champions from the 2013 edition are Mexico’s Samantha Jimenez, American Jordan Windle and Canada’s Henry McKay.
Canadian roster
USA roster
October 8
Boys A 3-meter – Grayson Campbell, Jordan Windle
Boys B 1-meter – Noah Duperre
Girls B platform – Emily Grund, Carolina Sculti
Girls D 3-meter – Elena Yeh
Girls A 1-meter – Alison Gibson, Brooke Schultz
Boys C platform – Jordan Rzepka, Max Weinrich
October 9
Girls A 3-meter – Alison Gibson
Girls B 1-meter – Emily Grund, Carolina Sculti
Boys B platform – Max Flory
Boys D 3-meter – Max Fowler, Denny Gulia-Janovski
Boys A 1-meter — Grayson Campbell, Jordan Windle
Girls C platform – Maysi Richards
October 10
Girls B 3-meter – Emily Grund, Carolina Sculti
Girls D 1-meter – Alexandra Warshaw, Elena Yeh
Girls A platform – Mya Kraeger
Boys C 3-meter – Jordan Rzepka, Max Weinrich
Girls C 1-meter – Anne Fowler
Boys D platform – Max Fowler, Denny Gulia-Janovski
Boys A/B synchro 3-meter – Grayson Campbell, Cameron Thatcher
October 11
Boys B 3-meter – Noah Duperre, Lyle Yost
Boys D 1-meter – Max Fowler
Boys A platform – Andrew Capobianco, Jordan Windle
Girls C 3-meter – Maysi Richards, Daryn Wright
Girls D platform – Alexandra Warshaw, Elena Yeh
Girls A/B 3-meter synchro – Emily Grund, Mackenzie Willborn
USA Diving and Swimming Canada contributed to this article.