The end of March was a special time for track and field at two different latitudes. East of Havana, the Pan American Stadium hosted another Cuba Cup, crucial to the crusade of many to qualify for the 2016 Río de Janeiro Olympics, while in the Portland Convention Center, in the city of the same name in the U.S. state of Oregon, 547 athletes from 148 nations competed for world titles.
Except for the multiple events at the Cuba Cup and the pole vault in Portland, the competitions produced little of note in terms of records, although their importance for individuals was significant.
Leonel Suárez was anxious to excel in every trial. He needed to break through the web of uncertainty which has held him back. He had not completed an official decathlon since last year’s Cuba Cup when he accumulated 8,107 points.
At that time the Holguín native showed his true colors, forgetting all fear, including bad memories from the Toronto 2015 Pan American games, when he was unable to make a single valid pole vault. This time he came away with a victory, and qualified for the Olympics with 8,347 points.
His accomplishments: 11.30 seconds in the 100 meters (795 points); 7.40 meters in the long jump (910); 13.74 in shot put (712); 2.06 in the high jump (859); 49.72 seconds in the 400 meters (828); 14.65 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles (892); 43.48 meters in the discus (736); 4.80 in the pole vault (849); a personal record of 78.29 in the javelin (1,016); and 4:29.20 minutes in the 1,500 meters (750) – good enough to relegate Yordani García (8,068) to second place.
“I am very happy, after so much time without competing, since my knee surgery I haven’t been able to surpass the 8,200 point mark. The decathlon, unlike other events, has very few competitive venues, and this demands that you economize your strength,” Suárez said.
“Making the mark here means thinking about Gotzis, Austria - a fundamental competition for this specialty, in June - from a different perspective. I’m more motivated, and I’ll focus on technical training for my strongest events. I let many points get away due to my anxiety in these. The goal from now on is to go for a great score; this means surpassing 8,600 points in the Río de Janerio Olympics. The aspiration of many is to make the finals; mine is to be on the podium,” continued Suárez, who won bronze medals in both the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Summer Games.
Yorgelis Rodríguez, from Guantánamo, surpassed 6,300 points in the heptathlon, for the second time in her career. The 21-year-old made personal records in the 100 meter hurdles (13.58 seconds), high jump (1.87 m), shot put (14.64), and the 800 meters (2:16.60 minutes).
She confessed, “I would have liked to break the national record. I started out really well, but the long jump, one of my strengths, failed me. I lost 150 points in that event. (She has a record of 6.85m, but jumped for only 5.78.) What’s happening is that I am changing my supports, and I still don’t feel completely comfortable.”
Discus thrower Yaimé Pérez made a 66.28 meter throw, and again displayed her stability over 68 meters, a mark regularly achieved by only a few elite athletes.
Other results included Reynier Mena (10.23 seconds) and Yaniel Carrero (10.24) in the 100 meters; Yirisleydi Ford (70.73 m) won the hammer throw; Yoandys Lescay took the 400m title in 46.56 seconds, followed by Roxana Gómez (53.06). Other champions included Yaniuvis López (18.62 m) in shot put; javelin thrower Guillermo Martínez (77.40 m); Dulaimi Odelín (11.73 seconds) in the 100m; Juan Miguel Hechevarría (7.93 meters) and Paula Álvarez (6.36) in the long jump. Roberto Skyers showed his potential in the 200 meters with a 20.42 second run, and Andy González (1:46:35 min) was practically alone making two trips around the track, getting close to the 1:46.00 demanded by the IAAF for Olympic qualification.
The Cuba Cup marks the closing of the first preparatory period leading up to the Olympics in Brazil, and Daniel Osorio, technical director for the Cuban Federation explained that the country’s principal contenders will depart shortly to set up training camp in three different locations. Those running the 400 meters and the 400 meter hurdles will travel to Puebla, Mexico, to maximize their aerobic strength; while jumpers, throwers and the multiple event athletes will work in the Mexican city of Monterrey; and sprinters and those competing in the short hurdles races will travel to the Dominican Republic.
A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND
Talking about the Portland World Championships means talking about pole vaulting, with France’s Renaud Lavillenie (6.02m), and the hometown favorite Jennifer Suhr (4.90), emerging as winners and event record setters.
Winning at least one title were the United States (13 gold medals, six silver and four bronzes); Ethiopia (2-2-1); France (1-1-2); and Jamaica (1-1-1).
Cuba sent middle distance runner Rose Mary Almanza, plus Yordan O'Farrill and Jhoanis Portilla to compete in the hurdles, who were unable to capture medals this time out.
O'Farrill from Camagüey made the semifinals with his 7.69 second time in the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries, but placed fifth with his 7.67 seconds in that trial, and was eliminated.
Neither Portilla (7.77 seconds) or Almanza (2:08.07 minutes) in the 800 meters made it past the first trials, which were dominated by Jamaican Omar McLeod (7.41 seconds), and Francine Niyonsaba (2:00.01 minutes), from Burundi, respectively.
Other champions included Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas, a protégé of Cuban coach Iván Pedroso, who took the gold with a 17.41 meter jump, although China’s Bin Dong went for 17.33m in the first heat; Italian Gianmarco Tamberi (2.36 m) in the high jump; plus locals Boris Berian (1:45.83 minutes) in the 800m, Trayvon Brommel (6.47 seconds), and Barbara Pierre (7.02 seconds) both in the 60 meters.
