This Tuesday's day of the Cuban delegation at the Paris-2024 Paralympic Games could be described as historic. Three gold medals came to propel the small Caribbean delegation to the 24th position in the general medals table.
Robiel Yankiel Sol was the first Cuban representative to conquer the City of Light. He did it under a persistent drizzle, and reedited his Tokyo-2020 Paralympic title.
He achieved the result with a jump of 7.41 meters, reached in his fourth attempt, but the truth is that he did it with the support of those present at the Stade de France, who did not stop cheering him.
China's Hao Wang, in the best competition of his life, tried to spoil the party, but Robiel arrived with that contagious dance, with his usual charisma and flew again to Paralympic glory.
Wang, with a jump of 7.32, took first place in the competition, and sought to intimidate him as the basis of a strategy, in order to make a psychological blow, to subtract power from him. But he achieved the opposite.
A while later, Omara Durand (T12) won her first gold medal in these Paralympic Games, and the second for Cuba, when she entered the finish line first, after running the lap around the oval.
The 32-year-old star athlete, a native of the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, reached the finish line in 53.59 seconds, ahead of Iran's Hajar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani (55.39) and Ukraine's Oksana Boturchuk (55.67).
For Durand, accompanied by guide Yuniol Kindelán, this was her ninth gold medal in Paralympic Games, after those obtained in London-2012 (two), Rio de Janeiro-2016 (three) and Tokyo-2021 (three).
The Cuban runner, one of the most followed in Paris-2024, is also favorite to dominate in the 100 and 200 meters.
In the afternoon, javelinist Guillermo Varona (F46) brought the third medal for Cuba, with a 66.14-meter throw in his second attempt. The silver and bronze medals went to India's Ajeet Singh (65.62) and Gurjar Sundar (64.96), respectively.
Varona, world champion in Kobe-2024 and in the Parapan American Games of Santiago de Chile-2023, won his first Paralympics title, with an American record and personal best, evidencing his vertiginous growth in this discipline.
Another good result in this fifth competitive day of the Games for the largest of the Antilles was achieved by table tennis player Yuniel Fernandez (MS1), who advanced to Wednesday's semifinal against Italian Federico Falco, after winning in the quarterfinals.
To these three gold medals must be added the silver medal won by sprinter Yamel Luis Vives in the 100 meters flat (T44), obtained on the previous date.
Today, the Cuban delegation will participate in Sport Shooting (pistol, SH1 to 50m), with Di Angelo Lóriga and Alexander Reyna; in swimming (50m free S7) will be Yosjaniel Hernandez. Pablo Ramírez will make his debut in weightlifting, Yuniel Fernández will continue in the semifinals of Table Tennis and our Omara Durand will begin her journey in the hectometer heats.
