Guantanamo.- Eblis Veranes and Damián Gómez, both originally from Guantánamo, secured the silver medal at the eighth stage of the 2026 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
This marks a significant achievement for the duo, who faced off against Mexican competitors Carlos Ayala and Inés Vargas Lares in a thrilling final that concluded with a close score of 2-1 (21-19, 13-21, 15-12).
Despite their impressive performance, the champions of the 2026 Santo Domingo Central American and Caribbean Games were unable to overcome the same opponents they had previously faced during the summer event. The talented pair advanced to the final after a decisive semifinal victory against the host team, Hayerling De Jesús and Oscar Martínez, winning in just 33 minutes with scores of 21-15 and 21-13.
Throughout the tournament, Veranes and Gómez demonstrated their skill and determination, beginning their journey in Group D. They achieved victories over Canadian players Rouzbeh Rahnavard and Robert Kemp (21-15, 22-24, 15-11) and Nicaraguans Rubén Mora and Jefferson Cascante (21-18, 21-23, 15-13).
Their group-stage match against Kenneth Glidden and William Duty from the Cayman Islands was particularly dominant, finishing in under 30 minutes with scores of 21-3 and 21-2. In the quarterfinals, they continued their strong performance by defeating another Canadian duo, Cameron McGregor and Markus Law-Heese, with identical scores of 21-19.
