For the second time, Cuban Marlies Mejías climbed onto the podium of the Pan American Championship of Cycling track, this time by finishing in second place in the Elimination race held this Thursday at the Peñalolén velodrome, in the capital of Chili.
In her new foray Marlies was only surpassed by the Mexican Yareli Acevedo, and relegated local Scarlet Cortés to third position, according to a note published by the sports portal Hit.
With her new performance, the rider repeated her performance on the opening day, when she placed second in the Scratch modality, which was dominated by the Trinidadian Teniel Campbell.
For this Friday, Marlies has planned its third presentation in the continental competition, now looking for a podium in the Omnium multiple event.
The publication recalls the Cuban’s good results in the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic competitions, in which she placed eight and seven, respectively.
On your own
Precisely returning to compete under the five rings is a priority for Marlies. The results achieved now in Santiago de Chile open the doors to the World Cup, a necessary event to follow the qualification route to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The rider took up residence in the United States a few years ago, where she competes professionally for the Twenty28 Pro Cycling team, with which she won 21 races during 2025.
Recently the athlete launched a campaign to raise donations that would allow her to participate in the continental competition and the World Cup to be held in the Australian city of Perth during the month of March.
As it turned out, Marlies was informed that the Cuban Cycling Federation did not have funding to guarantee her presence in those events, and her team could not afford the expenses of her participation in international events.
Marlies Mejías is working hard to reach the Olympics, but she needs our support. Every donation, share, or word of encouragement helps her stay on track for LA 2028. Let’s rally behind her. Every bit counts! https://t.co/B7wZSXei2q
— Nicola Cranmer (@nicolacranmer) February 5, 2026
“Asking for help is not easy for me, but this journey is bigger than fear or pride. Competing in the Pan American and World Cup is a crucial step towards my lifelong dream: earning a place in the Olympic Games,” Malies wrote on his Facebook profile.
Through the same means it was learned that the fundraising for the trip to Australia had already exceeded $7,100. Thus, only a little more than the 20% necessary to complete the necessary amount would be missing.
