The long-awaited dream of an Olympic year without the shadow of a global pandemic became a reality again in 2024. Paris became the epicenter of world sport and Cuban athletes, whether those who represented the national athletic movement or emigrants who competed for other countries, made themselves felt with historic performances and legendary finishes that are already part of the rich Cuban memory under the five rings. And beyond the summer event in the City of Light, the island’s athletes also left their mark on professional leagues or circuits of the highest level on an individual basis.
After this active calendar full of contrasts, OnCuba launched the second edition of its survey to select the 20 most outstanding Cuban athletes of the year and the best of each sex, under the maxim of uniting in a single list all Cuban athletes, wherever they are, both conventional and disabled.
For this inclusive selection, in which only the competitive criteria and the performance of the athletes prevailed, we called on more than 100 Cuban professionals linked to journalism, residing in different parts of the world. We included reporters from provincial, national, foreign and independent media, as well as freelancers and statistical analysts, all specialized in the coverage of sporting events.
We are grateful for the collaboration of the 69 colleagues who responded to our call and who, based on their knowledge, have made this selection, which is a recognition of the most successful Cuban athletes of the year.
Without further ado, we present the winners of the second edition of the OnCuba survey to select the best Cuban athletes of 2024.
Best female athlete: Omara Durand
After her meteoric farewell in Paris, with three Paralympic titles and that feeling that no one can defeat her, it is not a surprise that Omara Durand has dominated the votes as the best Cuban athlete of 2024.
The undisputed queen of the tracks in Paris, the Santiago native got 47 of the 69 votes from the specialists, followed by volleyball player Melissa Vargas (19), winner of the last edition, Yarisleidis Cirilo (1) and Yusneilys Guzmán (1). They all had weighty merits to aspire to the throne, but the value of Omara’s triumphs prevailed in her farewell to active sport.
At the legendary Stade de France, the indomitable athlete added to her legend with the titles in the 100, 200 and 400 meters flat in the T-12 category (visually impaired), always alongside her guide Yuniol Kindelán. Omara, in tears and at the top of the podium, entered history as the Cuban athlete with the most crowns (11) in the Paralympic Games after an impressive dominance from London 2012 to Paris 2024.
Best male athlete: Mijaín López
No one had won five consecutive Olympic crowns in the same individual event, until Mijaín López ascended to the top of Olympus for the fifth time in a row in Paris. There were doubts about the Caribbean’s chances due to the long period of competitive inactivity he had accumulated, but they were cleared up with his overwhelming performance at the close of his sports career. In our survey, there was no coincidence, although the victory was not unanimous, as many thought. The enormous season of triple jumper Jordan Díaz deserved a dozen votes to be the best Cuban athlete of 2024. However, the majority of voters (59) rewarded the historical value of Mijaín’s fifth Olympic medal, who gave a demonstration of mastery on the Parisian mats.
The Pinar del Río native achieved four fights and four indisputable victories on French soil, where he once again impressed with his physical strength and his technical and tactical skill. On his way, he ousted the Iranian Amin Mirzazadeh, current world champion, and the Cuban-Chilean Yasmani Acosta, two of the most demanding competitors in the division. At the end of the crusade, Mijaín left his shoes in the center of the Parisian mat as a farewell.
Top-20
The best Cuban athletes of 2024
Cuban sports fans had the opportunity to celebrate several triumphs of Cuban-born athletes in 2024. Olympic and Paralympic titles, stellar performances in top-level professional tournaments and relevant events in less media-friendly specialties marked the athletic calendar. The spectacular reigns of Erislandy Álvarez, Guillermo Varona and Yunier Fernández in the event under the five rings, the milestone of the Antillean women in wrestling and canoeing in Paris, another championship of a Cuban baseball player (Andy Pagés) in the Major Leagues, the overwhelming dominance of baseball5, the constancy of Erick Hernández and Jhoen Lefont in the control of the ball, the contagious energy of Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz in the sands of beach volleyball or the phenomenal shot of the discus thrower Yaimé Pérez are among the events that took our breath away in 2024.
Based on so many achievements and so many stars, at OnCuba we present a list of 50 candidates of 50 candidates to select the 20 best Antillean athletes of 2024 and the most outstanding in each sex. Apart from our call, we left the space open so that the surveyed specialists could add other athletes with relevant results in the year. In this way, ten more athletes were added to the initial list of 50, which is logical in an exercise of great wealth due to the large number and diversity of criteria. We were very pleased, for example, by the inclusion of Oney Tapia, Paralympic champion with Italy, or the young Cuban weightlifting promise, Marifelix Sarría.
In total, 60 athletes received at least one vote, 35 exceeded 25% of the votes and 17 of those included in the Top-20 needed at least half of the votes. In general, the selection process was classified as complicated, because 20 seats were not enough to award all the Cubans who left their mark on competitive arenas around the world.
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Erislandy Álvarez (67 votes)
The Cienfuegos native was the great revelation of the Caribbean delegation at the Paris Olympic Games, where he gave a master class in boxing to take home the gold medal in the lightweight category. Erislandy defeated the seasoned Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha in the final, who was unable to assert his status as host in the ring set up on the legendary Roland Garros track. In this way, he joined the exclusive list of Cuban lightweight champions under the 5 rings, made up of stars Ángel Herrera, Mario Kindelán and Andy Cruz. As if that were not enough, he is already one of the most promising figures in professional boxing.
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Yordan Álvarez (57 votes)
He was the best Cuban player in the Major Leagues in 2024, a year in which he hit 35 home runs, with 86 RBIs and an impressive offensive line of .308/.392/.567 wearing the Houston Astros jersey. The slugger from Las Tunas became the third player from the island with 4 consecutive seasons of more than 30 home runs, something that only Rafael Palmeiro and José Canseco achieved in the steroid era. Yordan once again confirmed his class and achieved his third participation in the All-Star Game, in addition to finishing as a finalist in the race for the Silver Bat as the best-designated hitter in the American League.
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Jordan Díaz (56 votes)
With exquisite planning, without exposing himself in any of the Diamond League stops and focusing only on 2 major competitions, Jordan Díaz closed a perfect year. The triple jumper from the capital who represents Spain was crowned at the Paris Olympic Games with an unprecedented final in which 3 Cubans climbed onto the podium representing other nations, while at the European Athletics Championships held in Rome, he left everyone speechless after achieving a stratospheric jump of 18.18 meters, the third best in history in the modality. Of the 8 events in which he participated this year, Jordan won them all, and in 6 of the,m he achieved marks above 17.50.
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Raidel Martínez (55 votes)
The Pinar del Río native reaffirmed himself as the best reliever in Japanese baseball after another dream season with the Chunichi Dragons. The Cuban closer recorded 43 saves, shattering the personal record he set in 2022 with 39 saves. In this way, he reached 166 saves in the Asian circuit since his debut in 2018. This year, he also achieved a pair of victories, so he participated in at least 45 of his team’s 60 victories. Raidel struck out 59 in 59 innings of work and only allowed 7 earned runs in that span, with an ERA of 1.09. The speedy right-hander did not commit a wild pitch throughout the season, gave away only 12 walks (2 of them intentional) and hit a couple of balls, proof of his excellent control. His performance has put him on the verge of signing a new contract with the powerful Yomiuri Giants, who propose to give him 16 million dollars for the next 2 seasons.
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Yusneilys Guzmán (53 votes)
In Paris 2024, “La Chiqui” became the first Cuban woman with a medal in wrestling at the Olympic Games since the Antilleans debuted in the modality in 2004. The 50-kilogram Havana native made it to the final by chance, after the disqualification of Indian Vinesh Phogat, who had beaten her in the semis. In the discussion for the crown, Guzmán could not beat the American Sarah Hildebrandt, but her name was already inscribed in the record books.
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Yarisleidis Cirilo (53 votes)
Never before had a Cuban woman climbed to the Olympic podium in canoeing, but in Paris 2024 the curse was broken with the Guantanamo native, who finished third in the C-1 sprint at 200 meters. Cirilo entered history after engaging in a bloody battle with the Canadian Katie Vincent and the American Nevin Harrison, whom she could not defeat in the final. “It was a very fast, very difficult race, that is why coming away with a medal is so special,” said the Antillean to the media after a historic bronze, which places her in the stellar planes of Cuban canoeing. In addition to the medal in the City of Light, the Antillean also achieved third place in the World Cup in Szeged, Hungary, held last May.
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Liván Moinelo (51 votes)
There were some doubts about whether Moinelo would achieve a stellar performance as a starter with the Softbank Hawks in Japanese baseball after spending his entire career in a relief role, but the left-hander gave a master class in pitching in his new role. The Pinar del Río native finished as the leader in ERA (1.88) in the Pacific League, with 11 wins in 25 starts and 155 strikeouts in 163 innings of work. In addition, he won the Gold Glove as the best defensive pitcher in his circuit. Moinelo added her sixth consecutive season with an ERA below 2.00 and her overall ERA after 8 campaigns in Japan is 1.92.
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Milaimys Marín (51 votes)
The last Cuban medalist in Paris 2024 was the capital native, whose only stumble in the Olympic competition came in the quarterfinals against the American Kennedy Blades. By a minimal difference and with a battle until the last second, the northerner cut Marín’s winning streak, who later proved relentless to win the bronze medal. Together with Yusneilys Guzmán, she wrote a historic page for Cuban women’s wrestling, which for the first time climbed onto the summer podium.
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Pedro Pablo Pichardo (49 votes)
He arrived in Paris with the label of reigning monarch and he certainly defended his Olympic crown in an unforgettable duel against Jordan Díaz. The Santiago native, who has been competing under the Portuguese flag for some years, managed 4 jumps of more than 17.50 and 2 over 17.80 in his particular hunt against the Cuban-Spanish, but it was not enough to repeat his Tokyo title. Nevertheless, Pichardo became the first Caribbean triple jumper with two medals at the Olympic Games. In addition, he won the Diamond League title after winning in 2 stops, including the final in Brussels.
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Leinier Domínguez (48 votes)
The “Idol of Güines” started 2024 in eighth place in the world chess ranking with 2,752 ELO points, and throughout the year he showed that it is not by chance that he is among the best chess players on the planet. Competing for the United States, Leinier won the team silver medal at the World Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary, where he mostly played third board behind Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So. His performance was not stellar, but he finished with a positive balance (5.5 points out of 9 possible) and became the first Cuban with a team medal in World Olympiads. To top it off, he finished second in the very strong United States National Championship, held last October, and in recent days he finished undefeated and in fourth place overall in the World Rapid Games Championship.
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Wilfredo León (46 votes)
He started the professional season at half speed due to physical discomfort, but he warmed up and gave memorable performances, at the height of his real quality, both at club level and with the Polish national team, which he has represented for several years. With Perugia, León was proclaimed champion of the Italian Cup in January almost without playing, and 3 months later he achieved the longed-for Scudetto of the Super League, the only title he was missing in the transalpine country. In 2 of the 4 games of the final he scored more than 20 points in his farewell to Perugia. His international season did not have the golden climax that was expected, but he won bronze in the Nations League and silver at the Paris Olympics, in the latter event as the leading scorer and the best in service.
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Robiel Yankiel Sol (44 votes)
Although he was unable to come close to his impressive world record of 7.84 meters, the Cuban jumper won the title in Paris 2024 after a tough battle against the Chinese Wang Hao, who had a spectacular sequence with 6 jumps over 7 meters. At only 21 years old, Robiel Yankiel already has 2 Paralympic titles, so the possibility of becoming a legend in the future is in his hands (or his legs).
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Melissa Vargas (43 votes)
The winner of the first edition of our survey for Best Female Athlete of 2023 continued her overwhelming pace this year. Consecrated as one of the best volleyball players in the world, she is the undisputed leader of the Turkish national team, a country she has represented for a couple of years. This year she finished as the top scorer and best attacker in the Nations League, as well as occupying second place in service. In Paris 2024 she offered a scandalous show, scoring more than 25 points in 4 of the 6 games played, including 2 of more than 30 points and one (against China) with the incredible figure of 42 points. Unfortunately, Turkey was on the verge of the bronze medal after losing to Brazil for last place on the Olympic podium.
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Yunier Fernández (38 votes)
The Artemisa native had a brilliant performance at the Paris Paralympic Games, where he became the first Cuban champion of para table tennis at summer events. In the discussion for the title in the MS1 category, he swept the British Robert Davies with scores of 14-12, 11-7 and 11-4. In his third Paralympic experience, Fernández accumulated 4 resounding victories against renowned rivals. His title allowed Cuba to surpass the number of crowns from Tokyo 2020.
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Yasmani Acosta (37 votes)
After becoming the second Chilean wrestler at the Olympic Games three years ago, the Matanzas native returned in Paris 2024 to try something never seen before in the southern nation, for which he has been competing for some years. Acosta sought to give his host country its first medal in summer wrestling and more than fulfilled his goal by winning the silver medal in the 130-kilogram Greco-Roman style division. The final fight was an all-Cuban duel against the legendary Mijaín López, Acosta’s idol since his beginnings in the sport. This fight marked the farewell of the “Giant of Horseshoe” and probably also marked the end of Yasmani’s career at the Olympic Games.
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Guillermo Varona (35 votes)
Since May of this year, the javelin thrower from Camagüey had launched his candidacy to be among the best Cuban athletes of 2024, since at that early date he won the world crown in Kobe, Japan. The left-hander took the crown in the F-46 category with a throw of 65.16 meters, a record for the competition. That was the prelude to his victory at the Paris Paralympic Games, where he surpassed his personal record and established a new American record with a throw of 66.14. Varona beat the Indians Singh Ajeet (65.62) and Sundar Singh Gurjar (64.96); the first, owner of the world record, and the other, with a world title on his record.
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Briandy Molina (35 votes)
For the second time, Briandy Molina was named the Men’s MVP of the Baseball5 World Cup, after the 29-year-old player showed lightning form throughout the tournament held in Hong Kong. The capital native continued to inspire and lead a team that set the pace against all rivals and repeated his MVP award won at the first Baseball5 World Cup held in Mexico in 2022. On Asian soil, Briandy had the most runs (43), the third-best batting average (.709), and was second in RBIs (29) and hits (73).
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Raisel Iglesias (34 votes)
1.95 ERA, fifth season with more than 30 saves, the best reliever in the National League in August… That was the result of 2024 for Iglesias, who reaffirmed himself as one of the most important players in the Atlanta Braves. His campaign was dazzling, especially between mid-May and September, a period of 41 outings in the center of the diamond in which he only allowed 5 runs, and the opponents hit him for an anemic .101. In that period he linked a chain of 36.2 innings without allowing earned runs, the longest by a Cuban reliever in the Majors and the tenth among all the firefighters in the history of MLB.
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Loren Berto Alfonso (31 votes)
A multi-world and European medalist and bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Loren Berto Alfonso was no satellite in Paris 2024, where he made a comeback by eliminating the star Cuban Julio César La Cruz in his first fight. The Cuban, who competes under the Azerbaijani flag, destroyed “La Sombra’s” fight plan with a style also based on quick combinations and constant movements in the ring. With that strategy, he advanced in the City of Light to the silver medal, accompanied at all times by his coach Pedro Roque, another Cuban representing other nations.
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Rafael Alba (29 votes)
The Santiago native started his career in Paris 2024 on the wrong foot, as soon as in the second presentation he lost to the unknown British Caden Cunningham, a 21-year-old boy who surprised everyone by making it to the final. Alba was then left to his own devices by way of the repechage, where he came back to beat the Nigerian Abdoul Razak Issoufou. Then, in the bronze medal match, he ousted Croatian Ivan Šapina, a double world medalist, and became the first Cuban taekwondo exponent with two medals in the Olympic Games.
Who answered the survey?
In order to select the best Cuban athletes of the year, it was essential to have the opinion of multiple specialists who, day after day, follow the athletes’ achievements and publish their chronicles on various platforms.
Our initial call included more than 100 Cuban press professionals and once again the idea was very well received, with a total of 69 responses. Among all the participants we found very diverse criteria, with very different ways of interpreting sport, something that has enriched these results.
The selections rewarded the great results of the Cubans in the Paris Olympic Games, but attention was also paid to the performance of our athletes in professional circuits who did not have the opportunity to compete in Paris.
It was a serious and responsible exercise, for which we reiterate our gratitude to the specialists who dedicated part of their valuable time and knowledge to achieve this selection, strictly based on sporting aspects.
This survey aims, above all, to honor and encourage athletes born in Cuba, without distinguishing where they have decided to develop their careers and their lives.
Journalists who voted:
- Abel Castro
- Alejandro Rodríguez
- Alejandro Rodríguez Ulloa
- Alexis Carmona
- Alexis Rúa
- Aliet Arzola Lima
- Andy José Rivera
- Andy Lans
- Aníbal Oliva
- Arian Alejandro
- Arley Puyol
- Aynel Martínez
- Benigno Daquinta
- Boris Luis Cabrera
- Camilo Pérez
- Carlos Hernández Luján
- Charly Morales
- Dairon Medina
- Daniel de Malas
- Daniel Martínez
- David Rodríguez
- Dayán García
- Duanys Hernández
- Dubler Vázquez
- Eduardo González
- Eduardo Grenier
- Enio Echazabal
- Ernesto Amaya
- Eyleen Rios
- Fabio Quintero
- Félix Anazco
- Fidel Manzanares
- Flabio Gutiérrez
- Francys Romero
- Gabriel Peña
- Gregorio Oquendo
- Gretel Yanet
- Guillermo Rodríguez
- Harold Iglesias
- Héctor Miranda
- Heeney Figueroa
- Javier Orizondo
- Javier Rodríguez
- Jhonah Díaz
- Joan Carlos González
- Joel García
- John Vila Acosta
- Jorge Luis Coll
- José A. Portela
- Kitin Rodríguez
- Leonardo Ruiz
- Lilian Cid
- Manuel Alejandro Pérez
- Miguel Hernández
- Nelson Alejandro Rodríguez
- Oscar Sánchez
- Pablo Enrique Díaz
- Raiko Martin
- Raúl del Pino
- Raúl Rodríguez
- Reinier Batista
- Reinier González Jr.
- René Navarro
- Ricardo López Hevia
- Robiel Vega
- Vivian González
- Yasiel Cancio
- Yuniet Ávila
- Yusimi Rodríguez
