The iconic Cuban athletes Mijaín López and Omara Durand were crowned as the best sportsmen in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, a recognition obtained in the 60th edition of the traditional annual meeting organized by Prensa Latina. Together with them, the Argentine football selection stood out as the best team of the year, consolidating a memorable year for the deporte in the region.
Mijaín López: a living legend of the Olympic Games
Mijaín López, five-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, reaffirmed his status as one of the greatest athlete champions of all time upon receiving all the male votes cast by the 105 middleweights participating in the event. With this Galardón, Mijaín repeats the recognition he obtained in 2021, consolidating himself as a historical figure in world sports.
The pinareño wrestler wrote a new epic chapter in his career as the first athlete in Olympic history, recording five consecutive titles, a success that amazed the world in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His logro was rewarded with 87 votes, widely surpassing to the Salvadoran tennis player Marcelo Arévalo, who won the second position with only five mentions.
Omara Durand: the indisputable queen of Paralympic athletics
In the women's category, Omara Durand, Cuban paralympic sprinter, consolidated in receiving 40 votes, more than double the Dominican Marileidy Paulino and the Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, quienes empataron with 19 sufragios each.
Durand shone at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where he captured three gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters events. With this example, Santiago achieved a total of 11 Paralympic titles, as well as 13 gold medals in the Parapan American Games and 14 in the World Championships. His trajectory positions him as one of the strongest athletes in the history of sport adapted.
Durand, aware of the greatness of his logs, reflected: «When you are the best of the world, everyone is preparing to improve. It's the goal that I tackle every time I do it.”
The Argentine selection: a golden year for the Albiceleste
In the collective sphere, the Argentine football selection was elected as the best team of 2024, with a total of 49 votes. The South American team reaffirmed its regional dominance at the crown champion of the Copa América in the middle of the year, in a tournament that marked the expedition of Ángel Di María of the selección nacional. This recognition represents the eighth honor of the Albiceleste in the history of the match, tras haber sido elegida in 1986, 1991, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2021 and 2022.
In the collective vote, the Cuban world champions of Baseball5 obtained 35 votes, while other Latin American crews received menciones aisladas.
A historical legacy in Latin American deportment
The Prensa Latina meeting, which began in 1964, is a gauge of the impact of athletes and teams from Latin America and the Caribbean on the world sporting scene. In the historical list of the most awarded, the Jamaican Usain Bolt leads among men with six distinctions, followed by the Cuban Javier Sotomayor, who accumulates five.
In the women's category, the triple jump specialists Caterine Ibargüen (Colombia) and Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) share the leader with five galardones each, while the Cuban runner Ana Fidelia Quirot follows with four. In the collective sphere, the selection of Brazilian football continues with the most graduates, with new total distinctions.
Voting and regional representation
In this 60th edition, I participate in the media of 17 countries. Cuba opened the representation with 38 votes, followed by Panama (12) and El Salvador (10). Without a doubt, I drew attention to the limited participation of Brazil, one of the continent's great sporting powers, which cast only one vote on this occasion.
A memorable day of the year for the Cuban and Latin American deportee
The crowning of Mijaín López and Omara Durand as the best athletes of 2024 reflects the impact and excellence of the Cuban athlete at the international level. Both athletes have consolidated a bond that transcends fronteras, and their recognition in this prestigious team reaffirms their place of reference as a reference point of inspiration for the new generations.
For its part, the Argentine football selection continues to write its success story, while the Prensa Latina meeting continues to focus on the best talents of Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrating the logros who once in the region of the return to deport.
