2024-04-07 00:44:13
Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360
Foto: RL Hevia
Leyanis Pérez from Pinar del Río shone again in an international competition and this time she did so in one of the stages where the Cuban triple jump has an exceptional legacy: the World Indoor Athletics Championships, whose 19th edition was hosted in Glasgow this weekend.
Of the four Antilleans who appeared in the Scottish city, all in the triple category and divided equally into each sex, only the 22-year-old athlete had a performance worth highlighting. With a formidable jump of 14.90 meters, she won the silver medal in a test that saw the representative of Dominica Thea Lafond, owner of 15.01, crowned.
However, the outdoor world bronze medalist in Budapest 2023 was not happy with her performance, even though with that jump she would have been the winner in four of the last five competitions of this type. “I’m not satisfied with the result, but I had a good competition and I hope to surpass 15 meters soon!” She declared to the Jit newspaper hours after the contest.
Pérez’s performance allows the Cuban triple to continue adding awards to his exquisite showcase at the indoor world championships. With Glasgow 2024 there are now 19 of the 20 editions in which the island appears among the medalists of the specialty and, in the case of the women’s event, it returns to the podium for the first time since Mabel Gay won bronze in 2012 .
Unfortunately, Liadagmis Povea, the other Cuban present in the British city, could not compete due to being injured during the previous warm-up, while Lázaro Martínez and Cristián Nápoles were far from their possibilities and expectations in the men’s event.
The Guantanamo-born Martínez could not successfully defend his Belgrade 2022 title and only scored a discreet 16.69 to finish in eighth place. Napoles, meanwhile, was an even bigger disappointment and did not even exceed 16 meters in the only valid jump he made.
While it is true that they all experienced a very intense last season and the final stretch of preparation for the Olympic Games is just now beginning, both must intensify their preparation if they intend to fight for the medals as they did at the 2022 Budapest Outdoor World Cup.
Once the actions of the global competition were concluded this Sunday, Cuba finally anchored in 20th place in the medal table for countries that the United States once again dominated with six golds, new silvers and five bronzes, for a total of 20 medals.
However, the Belgian delegation stole the headlines by displacing other powers in this sport and achieving a historic second place, thanks to three titles and a third place. Likewise, New Zealand also surprised with two titles and two subtitles to complete the podium.