The owner of a private business and sporting glory of rowing is murdered in Cárdenas

Havana/Former rower and sporting glory Carlos Laferté Sardiñas was murdered early this Monday in the city of Cárdenas, province of Matanzas, as confirmed by local sources and publications on social networks. The 61-year-old athlete was a recognized figure in the field of Cuban rowing and ran a private business in that town.

So far, authorities have not offered official information about the circumstances of the crime or possible suspects, although a neighbor told 14ymedio that the attacker was a man who “is not even 20 years old.” The victim was stabbed multiple times in her own home, on Calvo Street between 28 and 29, the woman adds.

Laferté Sardiñas was considered a “sports glory of rowing”, a distinction awarded by the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) to athletes with an outstanding career. In October 2023, the Radio Ciudad Bandera station, organ of the Communist Party in Cárdenas, mentioned him among those honored for his contribution to the development of sports in the province.

Images shared by his daughter on social networks show the former athlete during his active period in the 1980s, when he was part of teams of four with a helmsman and four without a helmsman, boats that represented Matanzas in the national rowing tournaments.

Although no records of his international participation appear in World Rowing Federation databases, his name appears in local archives as part of the generation that promoted the rise of this sport in the province. He Inder of Matanzas He offered condolences on his Facebook account this Monday, but without detailing the cause of death.

Laferté Sardiñas also recently received a vehicle awarded by Inder in recognition of his status as a sporting glory, according to comments made by those close to him in recent posts on his Facebook account.

The death of the former athlete has generated shock in the Matanzas sports community, where he was remembered for his affable character and his bond with the new generations of rowers. “A simple man, loved by everyone and always willing to help,” wrote one of his former teammates on social networks.

His neighbors also define him as someone “always willing to help” and with a great sense of humor.