Lázaro Martínez

Havana, 9 Feb (ACN) - Cuban triple jumper Lazaro Martinez failed to reach the podium at the prestigious Metz Athletics Meeting, held in the French city. 

The Guantanamo athlete, who had impressed with a jump of 17.03 meters in his first competition of the year, could only reach a mark of 16.62 meters this time, which relegated him to fourth place among the seven participants of the event.

Martinez, 28, faced a difficult start to the competition, with two missed jumps that put him on the verge of elimination; however, on his third attempt, he managed to stabilize with a jump of 16.55 meters, followed by his best mark of the day: 16.62 meters. 

Although he tried to improve in his last two jumps, he registered 16.57 and 16.58 meters, respectively, not enough to compete for the medals.

The victory in the event went to Germany's Max Hess, who with an impressive jump of 17.41 meters not only won the gold medal but also became the world leader of the indoor season.

Hess shared the podium with Cuban-born Italian Andy Diaz, who jumped 17.31 meters, and Frenchman Melvin Raffin, who completed the podium with 16.71 meters.

Martinez's performance in Metz shows that the athlete still needs to adjust technical details to recover his best form, especially after a promising start to the season. 

The Cuban, world indoor champion in Belgrade 2022, remains a key figure in the triple jump but will need to work on his consistency to return to competing for the top spots in the upcoming events.

The Metz Meeting, one of the most important meetings of the European indoor circuit, gathered some of the best athletes in the world, consolidating itself as a key thermometer ahead of the main commitments of the season. 

The next appointment for Martínez will be in two weeks when he will participate in the Meeting of Madrid, where he will try to vindicate himself and get closer to the 17-meter mark again.