From September 27 to 29, 2024, the second International Baseball Cup for the Blind was held in England, where Cuba participated with a selection of the country’s best athletes in this modality. Contramaestre was present in the event with the participation of Maikel Merino Ruiz, fourth bat and captain of the Cuban team, who turned out to be the best player of the game and world champion.
Full of pride, he returned to his hometown last October 3, together with coach Jesús Bustamante Méndez, also from Contramaestre, who is captain of the Santiago team in this sport and is also part of the technical staff of the Cuban team.
In dialogue with Maikel, in the community where he lives on the occasion of his reception, he expressed what it means to him to have achieved the title of world champion.
M. M: “For me it was a dream come true. I have always been involved in sports since I was a child, but I never thought I would reach such a high level. On September 29, 2024 in London, the dream of being world champion was fulfilled, of having lifted a cup as captain of the Cuban team. I feel very proud: first of all to be Cuban, to be from this municipality of Contramaestre and to have achieved this result.
Did it require a lot of effort, commitment and training?
M. M: “It is a sport that takes a lot of training. Since I joined the National Association of the Blind, ANCI, I was called to this sport and since then I have trained every day in the America Libre team to achieve all the results we have been achieving.
How have you been received in Contramaestre, in the neighborhood?
M. M: “I did not expect it. First a whole town in Cuba sending messages supporting us and interested in this sport for visually impaired people, which was unknown and that gave us a lot of strength. Today, even here in the neighborhood, there is still the government, the party, the neighbors”.
Will you continue training for future competitions?
M. M: “Yes, after a short break, I will return to training because in November come the national games. Let them wait for me because Maikel still has a lot to give. From here I am calling all young people with visual impairment to join me so that they can continue with this legacy and that Contramaestre continues to give world athletes. I thank my family; my mom, my dad and my wife who supported me all the time taking care of my children. I was away from home for several months. Also to everyone who made this success possible.