Havana, February 18 (RHC) - Four Cubans, all in the triple jump, will take part in the World Indoor Athletics Championships (1-3 March in Glasgow), according to the island's athletics authorities on Sunday.

The quartet is headed by champion exponent Lázaro Martínez, winner of the indoor competition in Belgrade-2022 and runner-up at the last outdoor World Championships in Budapest-2023.

The team is completed by Leyanis Pérez, bronze medallist in Budapest, Cristian Nápoles, also bronze medallist in the same event, and Olympic and world finalist Liadagmis Povea.

The note of the Cuban Athletics Federation also informed that the high jumper Luis Zayas, several times world finalist and initially contemplated in the group to the world championships, will not attend due to a tendinitis in his left knee.

He clarified, however, that Zayas is maintaining his preparation "at 50 per cent of his capacity" with an eye on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, for which he has already qualified.

Cuba's biggest bet in Glasgow is Leyanis, top of the world rankings and in splendid form. The 22-year-old and on the rise, Ricardo Ponce's pupil has won two indoor competitions on the winter tour, clocking 14.45 (Metz) and a personal best of 14.86 (Moneville).

Lázaro Martínez, who won the title two years ago in Belgrade with an excellent 17.64m, cannot be ruled out, ahead of Olympic champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who is also Cuban and Portuguese nationalised.

The 26-year-old, a pupil of former world champion Yoelbis Quesada, Martínez has not been able to shine in three events so far this season and his best performance came at the famous Lievin Meeting (France) on 10 October, when he finished fifth with 16.87m. In the previous edition, in Belgrade 2022, the island added a gold medal through Lázaro Martínez.With his gold medal, Martínez was the only one of the five Cubans on the podium and gave Cuba an outstanding 14th place in the medal table at Belgrade 2022.