The Cuban long-distance runner Yumileydis Mestre won this Sunday the Half Marathon of Córdoba, Spain, after completing the route in 1:16.38 hours, but was later disqualified by the organizers for “failing to comply with the regulations of the Spanish Federation in its registration”. confirmed El Diario de Córdoba in a note about the race, in which more than 4,000 walkers participated.
“By regulations of the Spanish Federation, foreign athletes cannot participate in events of the regional championship, as is the case of the Córdoba Half Marathon, which does not belong to the national calendar and which can admit foreigners residing in Córdoba or Andalusia”, he specified. information.
These lines, as is to be expected, fell like a bucket of cold water on the Caribbean runner and her coach, Ángel Rodríguez, who strongly criticized the decision. “If they had had prior notice, it would have been something else, but if they were allowed to run they should be rewarded, I don’t know the insides of the Federation, but they have been registered for a long time. They could have warned them, ”he told El Diario de Córdoba.
The trainer’s words make all the sense in the world and call into question the organization of a race to which the Cubans attended as guests, as a prize for their victory in the last edition of the Varadero Half Marathon.
Also disqualified were Moroccan Bilal Marhoum and Cuban Francisco Rodney Pérez, who finished second and fourth in the men’s category, respectively. Marhoum finished with a time of 1:04.03, behind the winner Jorge González, while the Cuban stopped the timers at 1:04.18, his personal best.
Both Yumileydis Mestre and Rodney loudly celebrated their results in Córdoba, taking into account their few options for international training in a modality that is not among the priorities of athletics on the Island. However, the regulations of the test deprived them of their results and it is not even clear if they will be able to standardize their records.
