Cuban Yarisley Silva, favorite for the pole vault final of the World Athletics Final being held in Beijing, says that what she's most passionate about is dancing.

“The thing I like the best is dancing. I dance reggaeton, everything. Before I got into pole vaulting I did ballet tests and the teacher said that I was going to be a little fat, and that I was too muscular so I couldn't go on”. Yarisley Silva who won Olympic silver at London 2012 and bronze in Moscow in 2013.

Silva reached 4,55m today on her second jump, the same mark reached by the rest of the competitors who are fighting on Wednesday for the medals.

The world leader last year with 4.91 meters, Silva recalled she started jumping at about 13 years of age, but that earlier she'd never heard anything about pole vaulting.
I didn't know pole vaulting even existed and I didn't know what it was.  My teacher told me: 'Do you want to try the pole? ' And I said, ' But, what's the pole? ' 

I took it as a hobby and I liked it. It is something different, 

"In Cuba there is no tradition of pole vaulting. It's a new event," said coach Alexandre Navas Paez' pupil. "When I started there were difficult times because in Cuba wanted to take this event away because it was very expensive."

"Jumping for me is a wonderful thing, it magnifies yourself. When you jump you can feel the satisfaction of having achieved something you've been fighting for."

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Cuban Judokas Dayaris Mestre (48 kg) , and Yandry Torres (60) will compete today in the first day of the World Championships held in Astana, Kazakhstan, gathering 729 athletes from 120 countries next Sunday.

According to the website of the contest, Mestre will face off with Priscilla Morand from Mauritius, while Torres will face Houdmed Modjar from Djibouti.

Even though the aspirations of the Cubans are to get to the medalist podium, the disciples of Ronaldo Veitia and Justo Noda are aimed to continue adding points for the world ranking, ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro .

Carlos Tondique ( 66) and Yanet Bermoy ( 52 ) will go to the mat for Cuba on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Magdiel Estrada ( 73) and Aliuska Ojeda ( 57 ).

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Flyweight Joahnys Argilagos put his name on the rematch against Mexican Joselito Velazquez to offer the first of the seven bands that Cuba led the continental boxing tournament played in Venezuela.

Argilagos had failed twice against the double Pan American champion, the last time in the final of Toronto, but showed ease and speed, even when the fight went to the short distance, and received the verdict of the judges.

Although there were good times together, and Velázquez leads him in experience and physical strength, the 18-year-old athlete marked very well in combinations, he was efficient and moved the defense with authority.

The competition where the island depended on the 10 progressives was also happy for Andy Cross and Lenier Peró .

Both of them showed a clear domination against their victims in the capital of Ontario, the Dominican Hector Garcia and local Edgar Muñoz, respectively.

Light welterweight Yasnier Toledo, the medium Arlen Lopez welterweight Roniel Iglesias and cruise Erislandy Savon also achieved victories in their respectively bouts.

The two-time champions of the world, Julio Cesar La Cruz and Lazaro Alvarez, and the bronze medalist at that level, Yosbany Veitia, were defeated by their contenders.

This time, skills of heavyweight La Cruz did not work as usual and the Venezuelan Albert Ramirez took the gap with a major offensive to change the prevailing outlook in the discussion of the Pan American gold.

Lightweight Alvarez lowered his rhythm in the second assault because of the offensive of the Brazilian Robson Conceicao and that defined the combat against him.

Veitia was not as forceful as he needed to be, which provoked a better closing by Yoel Finol.