A duel in the waters of Varadero: The 2025 Gran Retto competitions begin

With a highly competitive and internationally diverse atmosphere, the competitive chapter of the fourth edition of the Gran Retto Varadero 2025 kicked off this Saturday at the Barceló Solymar resort.
The morning session, dedicated to the short distances of 750, 1500, and 3000 meters, produced one of the day’s biggest surprises in the women’s 3km event. Havana triathlete Claudia Gurri, in the 17-19 age group, took the overall victory with a formidable time of 46:37.5, beating all her rivals, including the leader of Cuban swimming, Laurent Estrada.
Estrada, a swimmer in the 20-29 age group, won her group with a time of 46:58.6, but Gurri’s performance prevented her from taking the overall title, marking the start of an intense competition.
Havanatur is the official organizer and host of the event, which also includes the Mexican brand Gran Retto, Cubadeportes S.A. and INDER.

Maureen Croes, president of PanAm Aquatics, underscoring the importance of the competition within the continental aquatics calendar.
In addition to the individual events, this Saturday’s event included a lively 4x25m relay festival for women’s, men’s, and mixed teams, adding a teamwork and festive element to the event.
With Mexico and Cuba accounting for 98% of the entries, the Calle 37 pool witnessed the first battle in a competition where both delegations seek to reaffirm their dominance.
Attention now turns to what promises to be the decisive day. This Sunday will see the 5 and 10-kilometer long races, the true highlights of the event, attracting the most experienced open water specialists and determining the overall champions of the 2025 Varadero Grand Retto Open Water Crossing.