The athlete delegation will return to Cuba without any medals. The last opportunity to get a medal for the Island vanished this Saturday when triple jumper Lázar Martínez committed three fouls in the last test.
“For the first time in the 18 versions of these tournaments, the Greater Antilles leaves without medals”, recognizes a publication of Cubadebate. The official press attributes the loss of Lázaro Martínez to “the planning of his training sessions and the psychological preparation” before major competitions.
Of the Cuban competitors, four became finalists, these are Maikel Massó, who came close to bronze, while Leyanis Pérez obtained fourth place in a triple jump. Luis Zayas and Yaimé Pérez also had mentions, but without medals.
However, the Cuban and Olympic champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who represented Portugal in the World Cup, confirmed himself as the best jumper with a mark of 17.95 meters, in Oregon.
However, the Cuban and Olympic champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who represented Portugal in the World Cup, confirmed himself as the best jumper with a mark of 17.95 meters, in Oregon
Pichardo was consulted by the sports press in the United States, if part of his victory is from Cuba and he replied “At this moment it is from Portugal”, according to the newspaper The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion emigrated from the island in 2017 to Portugal, where his whole family lives.
The international press records that the last worst performance for Cuba was in 2017, when it only obtained a bronze medal in the pole vault. On the contrary, the best participation occurred in Athens, in 1997, where the athletes returned with four golds and one silver.
In Oregon 2022, held between July 15 and 24, Cuba led a delegation of 14 athletes led by the Olympic bronze medalist, Yaimé Pérez. Liadagmis Povea, Leyanis Pérez, Roxana Gómez, Rose Mary Almanza, Shainer Reginfo, Andy Echavarría, Davileidys Velazco, Greisy Robles, Silinda Morales and Luis Enrique Zayas also participated.
In addition to returning without medals, the delegation also returns with casualties, after Javelin thrower Yiselena Ballar and the heptathlonist Yorgelis Rodríguez will escape upon arrival in Miami, United States. Usually and with more emphasis since the previous year, Cuban athletes take advantage of trips to international competitions to leave the Island.
The 2022 World Championships in Athletics, based at Hayward Field, were organized by World Athletics and the American Athletics Federation.
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