The Cuban long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarría will put an end to more than three years of competitive inactivity. He will do it next Sunday, when the Rally of Athletics Under the Moniz Pereira Roof, in Portugal.
According to the information disclosed by the organizers of the contest, and reviewed through the sports portal Hitthe Tokyo 2020 Olympic runner-up will compete again in the city of Pombal, the starting point for his attempt to return to the elite.
Juan Miguel Echevarría returns to the diving box
He will be at a rally next Sunday in the Portuguese city of Pombal, with the Challenger category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour 2025. #Cuba #CubanSport #athleticshttps://t.co/kBTzeBNNVf pic.twitter.com/9fgtxMNE8s— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) January 20, 2025
The presence of Jun Miguel in the event, with the Challenger category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour 2025, is one of the main attractions, given his previous rank and the expectations that his return to the jumping boxes has triggered.
The man from Camagüey has not competed officially since his presentation under the five rings in the Japanese capital, when he ended up injured. He had previously been a medalist in indoor and outdoor world events, in addition to being crowned at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
Shortly after his Olympic experience requested his separation from the national preselection from the island and moved to Portugal, where he has resided since then.
Months before the Paris 2024 event, he was surprised by his decision to once again represent Cuba in international events under the preparation of the legendary Iván Pedroso in Spain.
However, he finally failed to get in shape in such a short time to achieve the qualifying record for the Parisian fair.
Athletics: Juan Miguel Echevarría will once again represent Cuba with Paris 2024 on the horizon
Echevarría displays a personal best jump of 8.68 meters, although he reached 8.82 with a greater tailwind than allowed for official approval.
Confirm Hit that Juan Miguel remains under the protection of the Cuban Athletics Federation and considers that his return to competitions could “promote his reintegration into the elite of the specialty, currently dominated by the Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou and other figures with impressive progression, such as the Italian Mattia Furlani.”
The jumper’s name did not appear in the plans released by the athletics authorities in Cuba for the current season, which will begin with the traditional winter tour of Europe.
According to the announced schedule, the initial presentations will be given by triple jumpers Leyanis Pérez and Liadagmis Povea on January 31 during an indoor rally to be held in Miramas, France.
