Karel Aguilar Chacon
Encyclopedia
Karel Aguilar Chacon (born 5 April 1980) is an athlete from Cuba
. He competes in sprint canoeing
.
His first major success came in 2003 when he won the Canadian canoe
(C-1) 500m gold medal at the Pan American Games
in Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
. Two weeks later, at the world championships in Gainesville
, USA he reached two finals, finishing fourth in the C-1 500 m and eight in the C-1 1000 m.
Chacon competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
, this time in the C-1 1000 m
. He placed third in his initial heat with a time of 3:54.250, qualifying for the semifinals. There, he placed second, this time at 3:52.260 to qualify for the final. In the final, Chacon placed eighth with a time of 3:54.957.
After the 2004 Olympics he and Serguey Torres
were chosen as Cuba's new C-2 pairing for international competitions. Replacing the former world champions and Olympic medallists Ibrahim Rojas
and Ledys Frank Balceiro
was no easy task but the Aguilar and Torres enjoyed immediate success at the 2005 World Championships in Zagreb
, Croatia. They won medals in all three C-2 races - silver in the 1000 m and bronze in the 200 m and 500 m. The pair also won another silver in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2007 championships and earned their best finish in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He competes in sprint canoeing
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
.
His first major success came in 2003 when he won the Canadian canoe
Sprint canoe
A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...
(C-1) 500m gold medal at the Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Two weeks later, at the world championships in Gainesville
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, USA he reached two finals, finishing fourth in the C-1 500 m and eight in the C-1 1000 m.
Chacon competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, this time in the C-1 1000 m
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's C-1 1000 metres
These are the results of the men's C-1 1000 metres competition in canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The C-1 event is raced by single-man sprint canoes.-Medalists:-Heats:...
. He placed third in his initial heat with a time of 3:54.250, qualifying for the semifinals. There, he placed second, this time at 3:52.260 to qualify for the final. In the final, Chacon placed eighth with a time of 3:54.957.
After the 2004 Olympics he and Serguey Torres
Serguey Torres
Serguey Torres is a Cuban sprint canoer who has competed since the mid 2000s. He won four medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .Torres also finished ninth in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-References:***...
were chosen as Cuba's new C-2 pairing for international competitions. Replacing the former world champions and Olympic medallists Ibrahim Rojas
Ibrahim Rojas
Ibrahim Rojas Blanco is a Cuban sprint canoer who competed from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s....
and Ledys Frank Balceiro
Ledis Balceiro
Ledis Frank Balceiro Pajon is a Cuban sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s....
was no easy task but the Aguilar and Torres enjoyed immediate success at the 2005 World Championships in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia. They won medals in all three C-2 races - silver in the 1000 m and bronze in the 200 m and 500 m. The pair also won another silver in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2007 championships and earned their best finish in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.