Raekwon Noel wins Guyana’s first gold at 2026 CAC Games

Guyana: Swimmer Raekwon Noel won Guyana’s first gold medal at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games after setting a new Games record in the men’s 200m individual medley on Tuesday, July 28, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Noel clocked 1:59.35 at the Juan Pablo Duarte Aquatic Center to win the gold medal. His time also broke the previous CAC Games record of 2:00.97 set by Guatemala’s Erick Gordillo in 2023.

Mexico’s Humberto Najera won the silver medal in 2:00.07, while Gordillo took bronze in 2:01.29.

The victory was also Noel’s second national record of the day. He had earlier clocked 2:01.73 in the heats to break his previous Guyana record of 2:04.01.

Noel became the first Guyanese swimmer to complete the 200m individual medley in under two minutes. He also improved his national record by more than two seconds in the final.

The gold medal is Guyana’s second medal at the ongoing Games. Taekwondo athlete Ceili Peterson had earlier won bronze in the women’s under-49kg division after defeating Venezuela’s Yulienny Pedraza 2-0. Peterson’s medal was Guyana’s first at the 2026 Games.
Noel, 20, is a member of the Indiana University men’s swimming and diving team. He represented Guyana at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where

He competed in the men’s 400m freestyle and set a national record of 4:02.29 in the heats.

In 2025, Noel won bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly at the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay. He clocked 1:59.46 and broke his own national record in the event. It was the first medal won by a Guyanese swimmer at the Junior Pan American Games.

Noel also produced another record-breaking performance in June 2026 when he clocked 1:56.62 in the men’s 200m butterfly at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis. The performance broke his own Guyana record and set a new Caribbean best in the event.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Shareefah Lewis also broke the national women’s 50m freestyle record at the CAC Games. She clocked 26.95 seconds in the heats before improving the record to 26.69 seconds in the B final.

The 2026 CAC Games are being held in Santo Domingo from July 24 to August 8. The Games are marking 100 years since the first edition was held in 1926, with more than 6,000 athletes from 37 countries and territories competing in 40 sports.

Noel’s gold medal gives Guyana one gold and one bronze at the Games so far, with competition continuing in Santo Domingo.