The Indoor World Cup in Belgrade is already surprising us at the starting line of the Belgrade Arena, where 680 athletes from 137 countries, including 308 women, will fight for glory. The one that makes them ratify themselves as the best in their respective events, and places them in the spotlight ahead of the absolute world event in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
But for now it’s time to focus on what might happen in the capital of Serbia, where a dozen aces from Birmingham 2018 will attend in search of reaffirming their legacy. To which is added the presence of a dozen Olympic kings of Tokyo 2021, highlighting the universal record holders Ryan Crouser (USA-shot), Mondo Duplantis (SWE-pole), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR-1,500 meters), and Yulimar Rojas (VEN-triple jump)
To whom are added other prominent figures in the Japanese capital such as Selemon Barega (ETH-3,000 meters), Marcell Jacobs (ITA-60 meters), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH-400 meters), Katie Nageotte (USA-pole), Pedro Pichardo (POR-triple jump), Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA-high jump), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE-long jump) and Damian Warner (CAN-heptathlon).
In that concert, Cuba, which four years ago in Birmingham celebrated the title of the long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarría (8.46 meters), and the bronze with national record including Yorgelis Rodríguez in the pentathlon (4,637 points), will attend with a representation of six athletes, again being the field events the ones with the greatest potential. With the exception of Roxana Gómez, the remaining troops belong to the jumping area.
We are talking about the pole vaulter Yarisley Silva, the most experienced of the entourage and who this time entered through playoffs based on her position in the ranking; the triple jumpers Lázaro Martínez, Liadagmis Povea and Leyanis Pérez; and the long jumper and bronze under the five rings in the land of the Rising Sun, Maykel Massó.
Prism to our legionnaires
Lázaro Martínez: Taking into account what happened in the indoor campaign, Lázaro Martínez leads the entry with his 17.21 from Lievin, which also seemed like his best indoor record. The 24-year-old from Guantanamo will try to further patent his resurrection after three campaigns in the shadow of other jumpers for dissimilar reasons.
Be careful, we must bear in mind that he does not have vast experience in indoor circuits, and that other athletes will go to the ring who surpass him in records and mileage such as Pichardo himself (16.57 in the campaign), and the Americans Donald Scott (16.88) and Will Claye (16.63), three of the favorites, despite being the French Jean-Marc Pontvianne (17.08), who escorts Martínez in the annual list.
Leyanis Pérez: It will literally be up to the portentous girl to try to dance at the spinning top’s house. We speak that the feud of the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas (15.41 meters), is practically indisputable. With her, her question is how far can she take her slender anatomy.
So, in this matter of “dividing up the silver and the bronze”, in addition to the 20-year-old from Pinar del Río, who also set her top indoor record at 14.47 this season, Thea Lafond (14.62) from Dominica will be fighting hard; the American Jasmine Moore (14.57) and the Ukrainian Marina Bekh-Romanchuk (14.34), one of the six athletes from her nation who will compete in Serbia in the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Nor can Liadagmis Povea, also an Antillean, be ruled out, who despite not having gone beyond 14.08 cannot be ruled out. She was the fifth Olympian in Tokyo with 14.70 meters, and she also has a respectable 14.54 indoors, achieved in the previous campaign. At 26 years old, Lia has shown in the last three seasons that she has the mettle of a competitive triple jumper, and her 14.93 open tops make her an exponent of respect.
Maykel Massó: He has barely exceeded 7.80 meters this season, which is why he is not considered a favorite to climb the award podium in the men’s length, where all the flashes are directed at the Greek Mitiadis Tentoglu (8.25); without neglecting the Swedish constant, Thobias Montler (8.23), and the Americans Jarrion Lawson (8.19) and Marquis Dendy (8.14); among other tanned, like the Uruguayan Emiliano Lasa (8.11).
The indomitable does not have that lofty top record on the indoor track either, since he exhibits 8.08 achieved in 2021 in Germany’s Karlsruhe, one of his first experiences on this circuit.
Yarisley Silva: At 34 years old, she continues to show that she is a warrior, although she is somewhat distant from the super elite of the women’s pole vault at the moment. She has managed to fly over the rod over 4.65 meters in the current journey, and has 4.82 as the roofed peak mark. Ella to which she adds her title in the Sopot 2014 edition with 4.70; and the seventh seat of Birmingham with 4.60.
The most solid candidates for the scepter facing Belgrade were the Russians Anzhelika Sidorova (4.87) and Polina Knoroz (4.81), but as a result of the sanctions imposed on the Federation and the Olympic Committee of their country, they will not be present. Leaving the hot fight between the northerners Sandi Morris, and Katie Nageotte, and the Slovenian Tina Sutej, all with a height of 4.80.
Roxana Gómez: A specialty in which “hip-hop is always on fire” such as the 400 meters. There, Roxana Gómez will seek to continue giving consistent samples of talent, who led her top in this type of segment with two laps of the 200-meter track up to 52.60 seconds.
Among 35 sprinters from 20 countries, Roxana will try to sneak into the final, a difficult goal if we take into account the presence of heavyweights such as the Bahamian and queen of Olympus Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Dutch Femke Bol (50.30), the Jamaican Stephanie Ann McPherson (51.39), and the trio of extremely dangerous Poles made up of Justina Swiety-Ersetic (51.04), Anna Kielbasinska (51.10), and Natalia Kaczmarek (51.15).
Other alleged bloody rivalries
That is the scenario for ours, a very rocky one indeed in each of their respective tests. The world championships concentrate the supreme athletic brilliance, and thus will testify to other bloody rivalries such as those that are presaged between the Swedish phenomenon Armand Duplantis (6.19 meters) and the American Chris Nilsen (6.05) in the men’s pole vault; that of the 60 smooth in both sexes with the also Polish Ewa Swoboda (6.99) and the reappeared Christian Coleman (6.45) in the lead, without ruling out his northern teammate Marvin Bracy (6.48), and the Italian Olympic king Marcell Jacobs (6.49).
And those that will surely occur in other events such as the 1,500 meters with Ingebrigtsen (3:30.60 minutes) resisting the push of Samuel Tefera, Abel Kipsang and company; or that of the 3,000 with the Ethiopian trident of Barega, Berihu Aregawi (7:26.20) and Lamecha Girma playing to show which legs arrive fresher in the last round and auction.
Among females, the 800-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, paint to bring us great emotions, in a mixture of parity and notorious records. This is how we are getting closer, you, after this initial look, join us to know in detail what the World Cup has in store for us. Of course, it will be after the starter shot sounds.
By the way, the Greater Antilles lands in an outstanding historical seventh place in the medal table of these contests, endorsed by 17 scepters, 16 silver and 17 bronze. To the head? The United States (110-75-64), the Mecca of the King of sports, seconded by Russia (52-48-45).
