Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva, London 2012 silver medalist, is gradually returning to the top on route to the Olympic Games in Río de Janeiro this August, having made several jumps over 4.60 meters (Ostrava, Czech Republic), 4.50m (Rabat, Morocco), 4.60m (Rome, Italy), the spectacular 4.84m (Birmingham, UK) and 4.65m in Zweibrucken, Germany, on June 12.
In Birmingham, Silva, from Pinar del Río, was just seven centimeters from her personal best of 4.91 meters achieved in August 2015 in Beckum, Germany. Taking into account her best performances in the year's four international contests, she is jumping an average of 4.63 meters.
The competitive events in which the Cuban pole vaulter has participated, after postponing her training in Europe in February due to personal circumstances, have seen her come up against the leading world athletes in the discipline, and climb the medals podium.
In Ostrava, Rabat, and Rome, the Cuban demonstrated consistency, with results within a range of 10 centimeters; however, in Birmingham she achieved a jump of 4.84 meters (second world best of the season), demonstrating a marked improvement in her form, placing her behind Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi (best result of the season with 4.86 meters in Filothei, Greece).
The Birmingham result also set her apart from Sandi Morris and Jennifer Suhr, of the U.S., who hold records of 4.83 and 4.82 meters.
Morris and Suhr, who have maintained a steady competitive performance throughout the season, remain strong rivals for Yarisley Silva, in her efforts to surpass the 5.00 meters mark.
A comparative study between May-July 2015, and May-June 2016, reveals a steady improvement in the Cuban pole vaulter’s performance, consistently surpassing her result of 4.30m in the first competition of May 2015, by 20 centimeters or more. In 2015, she reached a peak of 4.85 meters in Toronto, Canada, setting a Pan American record.
Such performances indicate that the island’s representative in this difficult sport could reach her optimal form this summer, and perhaps establish a new record in Río.
Her consistent results of over 4.50 meters since the beginning of the current season, together with the competitiveness she demonstrated in Birmingham, are positive signs that place her once again among the best athletes of the year, with favorable results en route to the Olympics.
