With a record number of more than 600 competitors, the 4th edition of the Gran Retto will feature the 750-meter, 1,500-meter, and 3-kilometer events this Saturday, officially opening the event’s competitive scene.

Mexico and Cuba, with 98 percent of the competition’s overall representation, will seek to maintain their dominance in categories and once again establish a fierce competition, which in the last edition saw Mexicans winning most of the events.

Following these events, the so-called “queen races” will take place on Sunday, involving athletes in the 5 and 10-kilometer distances and featuring the most experienced swimmers in the world of open water.

The day before, the director of the Mexican sports brand Gran Retto, Luis Mario Villarreal, stated that being able to quintuple the numbers from the inaugural edition and maintain exponential growth each year is a dream come true.

Villarreal admitted that the goal of surpassing 1,000 participants is within reach, with the firm objective of hosting a world or Pan American aquatics event in Varadero.

jdt/jha/ads