Londres — Latinoamérica encontró una mina en Londres.

Cuba, Dominicana y Brasil consiguieron el lunes tres títulos olímpicos en una de las jornadas más redondas para el deporte de la región en unos juegos, en la que cubanos y dominicanos hicieron doblete con sendas platas y Puerto Rico se llevó un bronce.

A punto de cumplir 35 años, el eterno dominicano Félix Sánchez se convirtió en el atleta de mayor edad que gana un oro olímpico en cualquier carrera de velocidad tras imponerse en la final de los 400 metros vallas, en la que el puertorriqueño Javier Culson fue bronce.

El joven Luguelín Santos redondeó la actuación de la República Dominicana con una plata en los 400 planos.

Además, Mijaín López se proclamó campeón en la categoría de los 120 kilos de la lucha grecorromana y dio a Cuba su tercer oro en Londres, con el que ya supera la cosecha de Beijing 2008, mientras que Yarisley Silva se alzó con la plata de salto con pértiga en un concurso muy cerrado.

Finalmente, el brasileño Arthur Zanetti desbancó al favorito chino y conquistó sorpresivamente la medalla de oro en la competencia de anillos de la gimnasia.

El llanto incontralado de Sánchez, con las emociones a flor de piel mientras recibía la medalla, fue uno de esos momentos que permanecerán en la retina de los espectadores durante muchos años.

El dominicano, al que muchos daban por acabado, repitió el oro olímpico de Atenas 2004. Pero además, lo hizo clavando el mismo tiempo de ambas carreras, separadas por ocho años: 47.63 segundos.

"Nadie se espera esto", dijo Sánchez. "Mucha gente decía que debía retirarme, pero perseveré. Ahora mismo deben estar celebrando en la República Dominicana".

La plata fue para el estadounidense Michael Tinsley. El bronce fue para el favorito boricua Culson, que tropezó en el paso de la séptima valla y se quedó sin cambio de ritmo para los últimos metros.

"Esta medalla no me la esperaba. Yo quería esa medalla (de oro) y todo Puerto Rico la estaba esperando", se lamentó Culson. "No los pude complacer".

La jornada todavía tenía reservada otro metal para Dominicana: la plata de Santos en los 400 planos. El oro fue para el velocista de Granada Kirani James.

Pero el joven Santos, de 18 años, está llamado a repetir en la pista los éxitos de su maestro Sánchez.

La pista del estadio olímpico también sonrió a la cubana Silva, que se llevó una plata que pudo haber sido oro en el salto con pértiga.

Silva superó el listón en los 4,75 metros, la misma marca que la ganadora estadounidense Jenn Suhr. Pero al haber acumulado un salto nulo más, quedó relegada a la segunda posición. Por su parte, la rusa Yelena Isinbayeva, doble campeona olímpica, tuvo que conformarse con el bronce.

Cuba sí tuvo el premio del oro gracias a una de sus mejores bazas, el luchador Mijaín López, quien repitió el título logrado hace cuatro años en Beijing en los 120 kilos tras imponerse en la final al estonio Heiki Nabby.

La victoria de López, unida a los títulos olímpicos de la judoca Idalys Ortiz y al de tiro con pistola de Leuris Pupo, supone el tercer oro en Londres para Cuba, que superó las dos preseas doradas de Beijing.

Brasil consiguió su segundo oro de los juegos gracias al inesperado triunfo en las anillas de Zanetti, quien se impuso nada menos que al llamado "Señor de los Anillos": el chino Chen Yibing, campeón en Beijing y ganador de cuatro de los últimos cinco títulos mundiales.

La sorpresa del oro fue todavía mayor si se tiene en cuenta que en la fase clasificatoria la semana pasada, Zanetti avanzó con la peor calificación de los ocho finalistas.

"Había hecho una serie un poco más básica en la clasificación para no ir de primero (en la final), y dio resultado. Clasifiqué de último e hice mi rutina de siempre en la final y alcancé una nota maravillosa", comentó.

En deportes por equipos, las "Leonas" argentinas, grandes favoritas del hockey sobre césped, avanzaron a las semifinales del torneo, mientras que la "Albiceleste" también clasificó a los cuartos de final del vóleibol masculino, donde enfrentará.

En básquetbol, entretanto, Argentina cayó ante Estados Unidos 126-97 en el cierre dela primera ronda pero de todos modos avanzó a los cuartos de final y quedó a la espera de un duelo con Brasil, que venció a España 88-82.

Argentina se clasificó también a las semifinales de hóckey femenino sobre césped al igualar 0-0 con Australia. Las "leonas" enfrentarán ahora a Gran Bretaña por el pase a la finall

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