Lazaro Martinez
Havana, July 13 (RHC) - More than a dozen Cuban track and field stars will continue their training in Europe ahead of the World Championships, scheduled for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Among those confirmed for upcoming rallies in the old continent are triple jump world champion Lázaro Martínez, who will reappear at the Diamond League in Monaco (July 21), Cuban national athletics team manager Jorge Luis Aguilera told Radio Habana Cuba.
Flamboyant starter of the Centrocaribes of San Salvador (17.51m), Martinez is third in the fight for the diamond and in Monaco he will have to face figures of the stature of Cuban Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who defends the colors of Portugal, and Andy Diaz, from Italy.
Before the Monaco stop, other athletes from the island will compete on Sunday in the Diamond League in Silesia (Poland) and on Wednesday in the Arcobaleno Meeting (Italy).
Triple jumpers Leyanis Pérez and Liadagmis Povea, and high jumper Luis Zayas, will compete in Poland. The three were the first to travel to Europe together with coach Yoelbis Quesada and Aguilera.
Leyanis and Povea have just shined in the Central Caribbean Games in San Salvador, where they won silver and bronze with excellent records, behind the queen of the triple jump in the world, Yulimar Rojas.
The Venezuelan won with 15.16m, escorted by Leyanis (personal record of 14.98) and Povea (personal best of 14.85).
Leyanis leads the prestigious diamond circuit and many predict that she is about to become the third Cuban triple jumper in history to surpass the 15 m barrier, after Yamilé Aldama and Yargeris Savigne.
The second European meeting will be in Arcobelano, on Wednesday 19, where Zayas will repeat, and on the track will be Roxana Gómez (400 m) and Rose Mary Almanza (800).
The latter two are scheduled to cross the Atlantic this Friday in the company of the discus runner Silinda Morales, and Cristian Nápoles (triple jump), together with the trainers Hilda Elisa Ramos and Ricardo Molina, and the young Alejandro Parada (long jump) will do it later.
Arrangements are being made for Zurian Hechavarría (400 m hurdles), Yunisleidys García (100 and 200 m), Mario Díaz (discus) and Sahily Diago (800 and 1500m), all champions in San Salvador, to join the final part of the European tour.
Almost all the athletes enrolled in Europe are currently qualified for the World Championship, some of them by achieving the minimum mark and others by ranking.
The women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays are also in the qualification zone at the moment, after their outstanding performances in the games in the Salvadoran capital, where they were crowned champions with remarkable records. If they maintain their positions, they will go directly to the world championship.
Cuba attended the last edition of Eugene-2022 with 14 athletes and finished in 29th place in the medal standings without winning medals for the first time in its history.
