Dominican Republic held sixth place in the overall medal standings at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo after a seven-medal haul on day seven pushed their total to 67.
The hosts moved clear of Guatemala, which had closed the gap the previous day, but Puerto Rico leaped to fifth with one more gold than the Dominican side. Venezuela extended its grip on fourth place and is closing in on 100 podiums.
Foca takes wrestling gold
Christopher Foca won gold in the 86-kilogram freestyle wrestling event, defeating Mexican Kevin de León 5-0 in the final. Born in New Jersey to a Dominican mother, Foca was competing for Dominican Republic for the first time in an Olympic-cycle event and currently coaches at the University of North Carolina. He beat Puerto Rican Ethan Ramos 5-0 and Bahamian Nathan Pond 10-0 before edging Cuban Lázaro Hernández 5-4 in the semifinals.
Three more freestyle wrestling bouts produced bronze medals: Elison Adames at 125kg, Julio Rodríguez at 74kg, and Luis Pérez at 97kg.
Tennis retains Nations Cup gold
The men’s tennis team retained its Nations Cup gold by defeating Colombia 2-0, with Nick Hardt and Peter Bertrán beating Colombian pair Enmanuel Muñoz and Alberto Puello after earlier eliminating Mexico and Venezuela.
Remaining bronzes
Divers Frandiel Gómez and José Calderón took bronze in the three-meter springboard with 345.57 points, finishing behind Mexican pair Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera and Colombian pair Luis Uribe and Sebastián Morales. The women’s racquetball team of María Céspedes, Alejandra Jiménez, and Luz Moreta claimed bronze after a semifinal loss to Mexico. The women’s softball team was awarded bronze after Friday’s scheduled match could not be played due to the poor condition of the Olympic Center stadium.
With boxing and table tennis beginning Saturday, the race for fifth place between Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is set for a close finish.
