Ledis Balceiro
Encyclopedia
Ledis Frank Balceiro Pajon (born April 18, 1975 in Matanzas
) is a Cuba
n sprint canoer
who competed from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s.
In 1995
Balceiro became the first-ever Cuban canoer to win a major international title, taking the Pan-American Games C-1 1000 m gold medal in Mar del Plata
, Argentina.
At the 1999 Pan American Games
in Winnipeg
, Balceiro duelled with Canadian Steve Giles, the reigning world
C-1 1000 m champion. Giles won the C-1 1000 m final ahead of Balceiro with the positions reversed in the C-1 500 m event.
By now the Cubans were challenging the top European canoers as well and at the Sydney Olympics
, Balceiro achieved another first as he won the country's first-ever canoe/kayak Olympic medal - the C-1 1000 m silver behind Germany's Andreas Dittmer
. In the C-1 500 m event, he finished sixth.
On the retirement of Leobaldo Pereira
at the end of the 2001 season, Balceiro was selected as the new partner for Ibrahim Rojas
in Cuba's two-man (C-2) canoe. The two men had occasionally raced together as teenagers and struck up an immediate understanding on and off the water. In 2002
they became double world champions (C-2 200 m and C-2 500 m) in Seville
, Spain. They also took the silver medal in the C-2 1000 m final. The pair were voted Cuban Athletes of the Year in recognition of their achievement.
In 2003 they won both C-2 finals at the Pan American Games
(500 m and 1000 m) and went to the World Championships
at Gainesville
, USA, as favourites. Unlike their main European rivals they again entered all three C-2 events. They finished fourth in the C-2 500 m, but were awarded bronze after the Russia
n team was stripped of their silver medals following Sergey Ulegin
's doping
disqualification. The Cuban pair had had very little recovery time since the Pan-American Games however and, this time, their grueling race schedule took its toll on Rojas and they finished outside the medals.
Both men were due to retire after the Athens Olympics
and were hopeful of bowing out with a medal. Eighth place in the C-2 1000 m final was a disappointment, but the next day they won the C-2 500m silver medal.
Balceiro later decided to continue and switched back to the C-1 event for the 2005 season.
He holds the C-1 200 m world record of 38.383 seconds (Seville
2002)
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
) is a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who competed from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s.
In 1995
1995 Pan American Games
The 12th Pan American Games were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from March 12 to March 26, 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games first return to the country that hosted the first Games, in 1951.-Overview:...
Balceiro became the first-ever Cuban canoer to win a major international title, taking the Pan-American Games C-1 1000 m gold medal in Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Argentina.
At the 1999 Pan American Games
1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Balceiro duelled with Canadian Steve Giles, the reigning world
1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Women competed in eight events, all in kayak....
C-1 1000 m champion. Giles won the C-1 1000 m final ahead of Balceiro with the positions reversed in the C-1 500 m event.
By now the Cubans were challenging the top European canoers as well and at the Sydney Olympics
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics was held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre for the sprint events and the Whitewater Stadium in Penrith for the canoe and kayak slalom disciplines. The repechage rounds that ran from the 1960 to the 1996 Games were eliminated in the sprint events while...
, Balceiro achieved another first as he won the country's first-ever canoe/kayak Olympic medal - the C-1 1000 m silver behind Germany's Andreas Dittmer
Andreas Dittmer
Andreas Dittmer is a German sprint canoer. The dominant sprint canoer of his generation in 1000 m races, he has won three Olympic and eight world championship gold medals.Dittmer won his first world championship medal - a bronze - at Paris in 1991 as a member of Germany's C-4 500 m crew...
. In the C-1 500 m event, he finished sixth.
On the retirement of Leobaldo Pereira
Leobaldo Pereira
Leobaldo Periera Pulido is a Cuban sprint canoer who competed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. He won the silver medal in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney....
at the end of the 2001 season, Balceiro was selected as the new partner for Ibrahim Rojas
Ibrahim Rojas
Ibrahim Rojas Blanco is a Cuban sprint canoer who competed from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s....
in Cuba's two-man (C-2) canoe. The two men had occasionally raced together as teenagers and struck up an immediate understanding on and off the water. In 2002
2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events...
they became double world champions (C-2 200 m and C-2 500 m) in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain. They also took the silver medal in the C-2 1000 m final. The pair were voted Cuban Athletes of the Year in recognition of their achievement.
In 2003 they won both C-2 finals at the Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
(500 m and 1000 m) and went to the World Championships
2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....
at Gainesville
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, USA, as favourites. Unlike their main European rivals they again entered all three C-2 events. They finished fourth in the C-2 500 m, but were awarded bronze after the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n team was stripped of their silver medals following Sergey Ulegin
Sergey Ulegin
Sergey Ulegin is a Russian canoer who has been competing since 2001 He won a silver in the men's C-2 500 m event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing....
's doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
disqualification. The Cuban pair had had very little recovery time since the Pan-American Games however and, this time, their grueling race schedule took its toll on Rojas and they finished outside the medals.
Both men were due to retire after the Athens Olympics
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre for the sprint events and the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre at the Helliniko Olympic Complex for the canoe and kayak slalom disciplines....
and were hopeful of bowing out with a medal. Eighth place in the C-2 1000 m final was a disappointment, but the next day they won the C-2 500m silver medal.
Balceiro later decided to continue and switched back to the C-1 event for the 2005 season.
He holds the C-1 200 m world record of 38.383 seconds (Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
2002)