2026 Central American & Caribbean Games - Individual Results

The 2026 Central American & Caribbean Games (CACGs) began a week ago in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the racquetball competition started last Saturday. Six countries are competing: Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, as well as the host Dominican Republic. The team competition is still in process, but the five individual competitions - men’s and women’s singles and doubles as well as mixed doubles - have concluded.

Mexico won four of the five individual events with Costa Rica preventing a Mexican sweep by winning Mixed Doubles.

Alexandra Herrera was a double gold medalist, as she won gold in Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles with Montserrat Mejia. Herrera defeated Guatemalan Gabriela Martinez in the singles final, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9. It was Martinez’s 3rd silver medal in singles at the CACGs. In doubles, Herrera and Mejia defeated Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez in the final, 11-8, 11-4, 11-6, which was a repeat of the 2023 final. Thus, this is the 2nd consecutive title for Herrera and Mejia, and it’s the 4th consecutive silver medal for Martinez and Rodriguez.

In men’s play, Mexican Rodrigo Montoya beat team-mate Eduardo Portillo in singles, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6, which was a reversal of the 2023 CACGs final, when Portillo defeated Montoya. Portillo and Andree Parrilla won doubles by beating Guatemalans Christian Aldana and Juan Salvatierra in the final, 11-1, 12-10, 11-8. Mexico has won every men’s doubles title at the CACGs going back to 1990.

Montoya had a chance at a second gold medal, as he and Jessica Parrilla were in the Mixed Doubles final, but they lost to Costa Ricans Andrés Acuña and Larissa Faeth, 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9. This is just the second time Mixed Doubles has been part of the CACGs, and Mexico were the defending champions.

Other matches of note. Costa Rican teen-ager Larissa Faeth defeated Mexican Montserrat Mejia, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-7, in the quarterfinals of Women’s Singles, which is probably the largest upset of the tournament. Also, Guatemalans Christian Aldana and Juan Salvatierra coming back from 2-1 down to defeat the Costa Rican brothers Andrés and Sergio Acuña, 11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, in the Men’s Doubles semi-final was another significant upset.

Racquetball was first included in the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1990. Since then, Mexico has won gold in singles at all but two games: 1993 and 1998. Fabian Balmori of Venezuela won Men’s Singles in both those years, while the Women’s Singles titles went to Claudine Garcia of the Dominican Republic in 1993 and Anna Maldonado of Puerto Rico in 1998. Mexico has won gold in Men’s and Women’s Doubles at every Central American and Caribbean Games.

XXV Central American & Caribbean Games
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - July 25 - August 1, 2026

Women’s Singles - Final

Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) d. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 11-6, 12-10, 11-9

Semi-finals

Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) d. Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic), 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica), 12-10, 11-7, 11-2

Quarterfinals

Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) d. Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica), 11-4, 11-5, 11-1
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Mariana Tobon Gordon (Venezuela), 7-11, 11-7, 11-0, 11-3

Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica) d. Montserrat Mejia (Mexico), 11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-7
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Andrea Reyes Perez (Guatemala), 12-10, 11-7, 11-2

Women’s Doubles - Final

Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 11-8, 11-4, 11-6

Semi-finals

Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Larissa Faeth & Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica), 11-2, 11-3, 11-2
Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala) d. Maria Cespedes & Alejandra Jiménez (Dominican Republic), 11-4, 13-11, 11-2

Men’s Singles - Final

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), 11-4, 11-4, 11-6

Semi-finals

Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Ramon de Leon (Dominican Republic), 8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica), 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8

Quarterfinals

Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Luis Perez (Dominican Republic), 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6
Ramon de Leon (Dominican Republic) d. Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), 17-15, 11-9, 11-2

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 11-2, 11-8, 11-4
Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) d. Hector Sierra Mansilla (Guatemala), 11-4, 11-4, 13-11

Men’s Doubles - Final

Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Christian Aldana & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 11-1, 12-10, 11-8

Semi-finals

Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Luis Perez & Junior Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), 11-4, 11-4, 11-4
Christian Aldana & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) d. Andrés Acuña & Sergio Acuña (Costa Rica), 11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5

Mixed Doubles - Final

Andrés Acuña & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. Rodrigo Montoya & Jessica Parrilla (Mexico), 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9

Semi-finals

Andrés Acuña & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. Ana Cardentey & Maykel Moyet Suarez (Cuba), 14-12, 12-10, 11-2
Rodrigo Montoya & Jessica Parrilla (Mexico) d. Christian Aldana & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 9-11, 14-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8

Follow the bouncing ball….

Medal summary for 2025 IRF World Junior Championships

Several players were multiple medalists last week at the 36th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and two players won three gold medals.

In Girls U18, Mexican Yanna Salazar won gold in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, while in Boys U16 Bolivian Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo also won gold all three divisions. No one did so in U21, suggesting that competition increases as players get older, as it should.

Three other players won three medals. Mexican Andrea Perez Picon was the silver medalist in Girls U16 singles, and bronze medalist in both doubles, mixed doubles. Costa Rican Alvaro Guillen was silver medalist in both Boys U16 doubles and mixed doubles and a bronze medalist in singles. Finally, Guatemalan Isabella Wer was a bronze medalist in Girls U16 singles and doubles and bronze medalist in U18 mixed doubles.

Here’s a rundown of all the multiple medalists.

Multiple Medalists - U21

Camila Rivero (Bolivia), Gold singles, Silver mixed doubles
Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia), Gold doubles, Silver singles
Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico), Gold doubles, Bronze singles
Sebastian Hernández (Mexico), Gold doubles, Bronze singles
Naomi Ros (USA), Gold mixed doubles, Bronze doubles
DJ Mendoza (USA), Gold mixed doubles, Bronze doubles
Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido (Mexico), Silver doubles, Bronze singles

Multiple Medalists - U18

Yanna Salazar (Mexico), Gold singles, Gold doubles, Gold mixed doubles
Mariafernanda Trujillo (Mexico), Gold doubles, Bronze singles
Marco Mamani Aguilar (Bolivia), Gold singles, Silver mixed doubles
Eder Renteria (Mexico), Gold doubles, Silver singles
Diego Romano (Mexico), Gold doubles, Bronze singles
Natalia Mendez Veizaga (Bolivia), Silver doubles, Silver mixed doubles
Leyton Gouldie (Canada), Bronze doubles, Bronze mixed doubles
Chloe Jauvin (Canada), Bronze doubles, Bronze mixed doubles

Multiple Medalists - U16

Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo (Bolivia) - Gold singles, Gold doubles, Gold mixed doubles
Luciana Illanes Quenta (Bolivia) - Gold singles, Silver doubles
Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica), Gold doubles, Silver mixed doubles
Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo (Bolivia), Gold mixed doubles, Silver doubles
Sebastian Terrazas (Bolivia) - Gold doubles, Bronze singles (U18)
Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico), Silver singles, Bronze doubles, Bronze mixed doubles
Santiago Castillo (Mexico), Silver singles, Bronze doubles
Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica), Silver doubles, Silver mixed doubles, Bronze singles
Isabella Wer (Guatemala), Bronze singles, Bronze doubles, Bronze mixed doubles (U18)
Axel Sanchez (Mexico), Bronze doubles, Bronze mixed doubles

Here are the overall medal totals by country.

Bolivia - 8 Gold, 7 Silver, 6 Bronze
Mexico - 5 Gold, 4 Silver, 8 Bronze
USA - 1 Gold, 5 Bronze
Costa Rica - 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Guatemala - 1 Silver, 4 Bronze
Ecuador - 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Canada - 3 Bronze
Chile - 2 Bronze

While Bolivia went home with more medals than Mexico (21 to 17), Mexico had more multiple medalists than Bolivia: 10 to 8, which suggests that Mexico’s success was concentrated in fewer players than Bolivia’s.

Four other countries had multiple medalists. Canada, Costa Rica and the USA had two each, while Guatemala had one.

Future international competitions

2026 is a IRF World Championship year, and Canada was to be the host. However, issues with the proposed venue have put that into jeopardy. Thus, there isn’t a confirmed host country presently. Nor is there any dates listed for the Worlds on the IRF website.

There also isn’t a venue listed for either the 2026 Pan American Championships or the 2026 IRF World Junior Championships on the IRF website. But there are dates for the Pan Am Championships: March 27 to April 4, as that competition is held during the week before Easter.

The 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games - a quadrennial multi-sport games that includes racquetball - will be July 24 to August 8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. World Juniors was probably a trial event for those games, although many events have been held in Santo Domingo since they built the facility used for these events for the 2003 Pan American Games.

Those dates will limit when Worlds can be scheduled, because they wouldn’t want to conflict with those games.

Thus, there’s some uncertainty about upcoming IRF events, which isn’t ideal, but this has happened before, and things have worked out, so we trust that they will again. However, it would be better to have things decided sooner than later.

XXXVI IRF World Junior Championships 

December 6-13 - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Girls U21 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Camila Rivero (Bolivia)
Silver: Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia)
Bronze: Andrea Gabriela Reyes Perez (Guatemala) and Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido (Mexico)

Girls U21 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Valeria Miranda Martinez & Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia)
Silver: Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido & Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico)
Bronze: Sinai Diseth Risso Cortes & Paula Mansilla (Chile) and Ella Boaz & Naomi Ros (USA)

Boys U21 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Jonathan Fernando Flores Vega (Bolivia)
Silver: Nicolas Ramiro Iglesias Rivera (Bolivia)
Bronze: Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico) and Sebastian Hernández (Mexico)

Boys U21 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Jorge Gutierrez & Sebastian Hernández (Mexico)
Silver: Hector Sierra Mansilla & Jose Caceres (Guatemala)
Bronze: Luis Aguilar & Ezequiel Subieta (Bolivia) and DJ Mendoza & Cole Sendrey (USA)

Mixed Doubles U21 - Medalists

Gold: DJ Mendoza & Naomi Ros (USA)
Silver: Jhoel Alexis Acha Portugal & Camila Rivero (Bolivia)
Bronze: Martin Carchi & Maria Angela Villacreses (Ecuador) and Jaime Mansilla & Paula Mansilla (Chile)

Girls U18 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Yanna Salazar (Mexico)
Silver: Nicol Abril Mansilla Tambo (Bolivia)
Bronze: Mariel Montecinos (Bolivia) and Mariafernanda Trujillo (Mexico)

Girls U18 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Yanna Salazar & Mariafernanda Trujillo (Mexico)
Silver: Natalia Mendez Veizaga & Adriana Noelia Blacutt Conde (Bolivia)
Bronze: Lahni Buller & Chloe Jauvin (Canada) and Rebecca Christopher & Montserrat Torres (USA)

Boys U18 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Marco Mamani Aguilar (Bolivia)
Silver: Eder Renteria (Mexico)
Bronze: Diego Romano (Mexico) and Sebastian Terrazas (Bolivia)

Boys U18 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Eder Renteria & Diego Romano (Mexico)
Silver: Martin Carchi & Juan David Sea Cueva (Ecuador)
Bronze: Leyton Gouldie & Raphaël Guillemette (Canada) and Josue Farfan Enriquez & Marco Mamani Aguilar (Bolivia)

Mixed Doubles U18 - Medalists

Gold: Nicolas Galindo & Yanna Salazar (Mexico)
Silver: Marco Mamani Aguilar & Natalia Mendez Veizaga (Bolivia)
Bronze: Christian Aldana & Isabella Wer (Guatemala) and Leyton Gouldie & Chloe Jauvin (Canada)

Girls U16 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Luciana Illanes Quenta (Bolivia)
Silver: Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico)
Bronze: Isabella Wer (Guatemala) and Nicol Abril Mansilla Tambo (Bolivia)

Girls U16 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Giuliana Faeth & Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica)
Silver: Luciana Illanes Quenta & Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo (Bolivia)
Bronze: Paula Aldana & Isabella Wer (Guatemala) and Lily Farias & Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico)

Boys U16 Singles - Medalists

Gold: Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo (Bolivia)
Silver: Santiago Castillo (Mexico)
Bronze: Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica) and Sebastian Ruiz Michel (Bolivia)

Boys U16 Doubles - Medalists

Gold: Sebastian Terrazas & Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo (Bolivia)
Silver: Alvaro Guillen & Marcelo García Sanchez (Costa Rica)
Bronze: Santiago Castillo & Axel Sanchez (Mexico) and Evan Whitley & Grant Williams (USA)

Mixed Doubles U16 - Medalists

Gold: Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo & Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo (Bolivia)
Silver: Larissa Faeth & Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica)
Bronze: Vaishant Mangalampalli & Aanshi Thakur (USA) and Andrea Perez Picon & Axel Sanchez (Mexico)

Follow the bouncing ball....

Gold medal results from 36th IRF World Championships

Bolivians won more than half of the gold medals Saturday at the 36th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but just barely, as they won 8 of the 15 World Cup divisions. The World Cup divisions are the U21, U18 and U16 age categories.

Bolivian Camila Rivero successfully defended her Girls U21 title, beating team-mate Rebecca Amaya Ardaya in the final, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2. Across 6 matches in Santo Domingo, Rivera won 18 games and lost one. That’s dominance.

She had a chance at a second gold medal, as Rivero and Jhoel Alexis Acha Portugal were in the U21 Mixed Doubles final. But Americans DJ Mendoza and Naomi Ros, who was the only player to take a game off Rivero in singles, defeated the Bolivians in that final, 11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8.

The Boys U21 Singles final was also an all-Bolivia match. top seed Jonathan Fernando Flores Vega defeated his teammate Nicolas Ramiro Iglesias Rivera, in three straight games, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9. Flores Vega didn’t lose a game across his seven singles matches, although he did need extra points to win three games in the pool play stage. In his four medal round matches, Flores Vega only surrendered 5.6 points per game. That’s even greater dominance.

Three countries split the gold medals in the U21 doubles divisions. Boys U21 Doubles was one of the divisions that didn’t have a Bolivian in the final. In that final, Mexicans Jorge Gutierrez and Sebastian Hernández defeated Guatemalans Hector Sierra Mansilla and Jose Caceres, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9. In Girls U21, Bolivians Valeria Miranda Martinez and Rebecca Amaya Ardaya beat Mexicans Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido and Ivanna Balderrama, 12-10, 11-4, 11-4, and as mentioned above the USA won the U21 Mixed Doubles division.

Aside from that USA win, Costa Rica was the only other country to win gold, as sisters Giuliana Faeth and Larissa Faeth beat Bolivians Luciana Illanes Quenta and Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8, to win the U16 Girl Doubles division.

Gold Medal outcomes

Bolivians won 8 of the 15 gold medals in the World Cup divisions: Boys and Girls U21, U18 & U16, singles, doubles and mixed doubles. They won 8 of the 13 divisions that they had finalists in, including a sweep of boys singles, and two of three girls singles divisions.

But Mexico won more of the doubles divisions, taking four of the five divisions they had finalists in, while Bolivia won three (of seven finalists), and Costa Rica and the USA one each. Costa Rica was in three finals, and the USA in one, so the conversion rate of finalists into gold medalists was the best for the USA (100%; 1 for 1), second best for Mexico (80%), then Bolivia (43%), and Costa Rica (33%). Guatemala and Ecuador each had finalists in one division, and neither won.

They live streamed several matches each day from Santo Domingo, so there are many good matches to check out at the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXVI IRF World Junior Championships 

December 6-13 - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Girls U21 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

2) Camila Rivero (Bolivia) d. 5) Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia), 11-2, 11-5, 11-2

Girls U21 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

2) Valeria Miranda Martinez & Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia) d. 1) Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido & Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico), 12-10, 11-4, 11-4

Boys U21 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Jonathan Fernando Flores Vega (Bolivia) d. 3) Nicolas Ramiro Iglesias Rivera (Bolivia), 11-7, 11-6, 11-9

Boys U21 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Jorge Gutierrez & Sebastian Hernández (Mexico) d. 3) Hector Sierra Mansilla & Jose Caceres (Guatemala), 11-8, 11-9, 11-9

Mixed Doubles U21 - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

4) DJ Mendoza & Naomi Ros (USA) d. 2) Jhoel Alexis Acha Portugal & Camila Rivero (Bolivia), 11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8

Girls U18 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

3) Yanna Salazar (Mexico) d. 5) Nicol Abril Mansilla Tambo (Bolivia), 11-8, 11-9, 12-10

Girls U18 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Yanna Salazar & Mariafernanda Trujillo (Mexico) d. 2) Natalia Mendez Veizaga & Adriana Noelia Blacutt Conde (Bolivia), 3-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5

Boys U18 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Marco Mamani Aguilar (Bolivia) d. 2) Eder Renteria (Mexico), 11-5, 11-8, 11-3

Boys U18 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Eder Renteria & Diego Romano (Mexico) d. 3) Martin Carchi & Juan David Sea Cueva (Ecuador), 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3

Mixed Doubles U18 - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

2) Nicolas Galindo & Yanna Salazar (Mexico) d. 1) Marco Mamani Aguilar & Natalia Mendez Veizaga (Bolivia), 11-4, 12-10, 11-2

Girls U16 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

2) Luciana Illanes Quenta (Bolivia) d. 5) Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico), 11-2, 11-6, 11-5

Girls U16 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Giuliana Faeth & Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica) d. 2) Luciana Illanes Quenta & Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo (Bolivia), 11-8, 12-10, 11-8

Boys U16 Singles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

2) Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo (Bolivia) d. 1) Santiago Castillo (Mexico), 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-4

Boys U16 Doubles - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

4) Sebastian Terrazas & Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo (Bolivia) d. 2) Alvaro Guillen & Marcelo García Sanchez (Costa Rica), 11-6, 12-10, 11-9

Mixed Doubles U16 - Medal Round

Final - Saturday

1) Alfredo Santiago Borja Arevalo & Suszel Andrea Pairo Galileo (Bolivia) d. 2) Larissa Faeth & Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica), 7-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10

Follow the bouncing ball....