Kevin Cordón was one win away from win his fifth individual title consecutive in the Central American and Caribbean Games, after defeating Mexican Job Castillo this Monday and advancing to the final of the men’s individual badminton tournament in Santo Domingo 2026.
With the victory, the Zacapaneco secured the silver medal and will have the opportunity to expand one of the most successful trajectories of Guatemalan sports in these fairs.
Cordón won the individual gold in San Salvador 2002, Cartagena 2006, Mayagüez 2010 and Barranquilla 2018. If he defeats Mexican Luis Montoya this Tuesday, July 28, he will add a fifth consecutive individual title.
The classification also meant a revenge for the Guatemalan, who Two days earlier he had lost to Job Castillo in the mixed team final. In that series, the Mexican won the decisive match that gave his team the title and left Guatemala with the silver medal.
In the individual semifinal, Cordón came back after losing the first set 20-22. The Guatemalan reacted to win 21-18 and 21-16 and seal his place in the duel for gold.
His rival will be Luis Montoya, who defeated the also Guatemalan Yeison del Cid by 21-17, 10-21 and 21-13. With that result, Del Cid won the bronze medal.
The men’s singles final is scheduled as the third party of the day on Court 1 of the Table Tennis Pavilion, with a projected start for 9:20 a.m. Guatemala (11:20 am in the Dominican Republic). The schedule may vary depending on the duration of the previously scheduled mixed doubles and women’s singles finals.
Beyond the final in Santo Domingo, Cordón arrives with a career that has consolidated him as one of the leading figures in Guatemalan sports. The Zacapaneco has represented the country in five Olympic Games – Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 – and reached fourth place in Tokyo 2020, the best performance by a Latin American badminton player in Olympic history. Now he will seek to add a fifth consecutive individual gold to a record that keeps him among the most successful athletes in the Guatemalan Olympic cycle.