With the confrontations of the national preselection that began last week, a period of competitions at home began for Cuban athletics, which will have as reference points the usual Cuba Cup and Barrientos Memorial.
The Cup –considered a national championship– was scheduled for March 18 to 20, and with it the first macro training structure for many of the members of the national team, especially those who competed in the past Junior Pan American Games of Cali.
As the national commissioner, Yipsi Moreno, explained to JIT, the 35 who attended that regional meeting faced different planning to adapt it to the commitment on Colombian soil, hence they are the ones who now close the first evaluation segment.
The remaining figures, especially those of the elite who competed in Tokyo 2020, have a different reality. Several are currently involved in the indoor track rallies and even during the days of the Cup they will be competing in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
“That is why the planning is different with them and they are not going to be in any of the confrontations that we have planned every weekend until March 11-12,” said Yipsi, referring to specialists in the long, triple, and high jumps. and pole vault, in addition to the runner Roxana Gómez.
As for the Barrientos, which is expected to be international, it was convened from June 17 to 19, and at that time some of the stars could be here, before joining the summer tour of Europe.
Prior to that moment, the national festivals by specialties will take place, beginning with the Aurelio Janet (launches) from May 20 to 22, at the Pan-American Stadium in Havana.
The Manuel Pérez Casanova (jumping) will move to Camagüey between May 28 and 29, in so many in that same city the Rafael Fortún (speed) will be lived, but from June 3 to 5.
The main change in the announced calendar is that by tradition all these festivals were convened before the Cuba Cup. «This time we place it better as a second moment to comply with the planning of the training sessions. The covid-19 has forced us to redesign everything that was usual and adapt to the specific needs of the moment”, considered the former auctioneer, 2008 Olympic champion.
Athletics has an unusual situation in the current season with indoor and outdoor world championships, as well as a universal U-20 event, which is why it is necessary to resort to adjustments in planning.
The World Cup in Eugene, United States, between July 15 and 24, should have been held in 2021, but was postponed for a year by the Tokyo Olympics (also delayed by 12 months compared to its original date), that’s why the coincidence of the maximum indoor and outdoor events in the same season.
In the American city, the Cuban Yaimé Pérez will defend her reign on the discus and the long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarría, who won bronze in 2019, will be ready to seek his first crown at that level.
Juan Miguel, silver in Tokyo, will not be in the winter season and according to his coach, Daniel Osorio, he faces a training plan of a single structure, directly to the summer meetings.
DUPLANTIS POLLENT STANCER SETS THE RANKING OF THE YEAR AT 6.04 METERS
With a centimeter above the record that already had him as the leader of the year, the Swedish Armand Duplantis dominated the pole vault at the Uppsala meeting, where he had no jumps.
The Tokyo Olympic gold set the top of the ranking at 6.04 meters and left the Americans Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot as second and third of the rally in Sweden, with 5.92 meters each.
Duplantis insisted for the third time in a row on “shooting” the world record. He attempted the 6.19 meters which would make him one centimeter better than his own mark of 6.18.
