Dates of the main Cuban athletics competitions are set
Havana, February 11 (RHC)-- With the confrontations of the national pre-selection that began last week, Cuban athletics began a period of competitions at home, which will have as reference points the usual Copa Cuba and Memorial Barrientos.
The Cup -considered national championship- was scheduled for March 18-20, closing the first training macro-structure for many of the members of the national team, especially those who competed in the last Pan American Junior Games in Cali.
As explained to JIT by the national commissioner, Yipsi Moreno, the 35 who attended that regional event faced a different planning to adapt it to the commitment on Colombian soil, which is why they are the ones who now close the first evaluation segment.
The remaining figures, especially those of the elite that competed in Tokyo 2020, have a different reality. Several of them are currently competing in the indoor track rallies and even during the days of the Cup they will be competing in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
"That is why the planning is different with them and they will not be in any of the competitions we have scheduled every weekend until March 11-12," Yipsi said, referring to specialists in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, in addition to the runner Roxana Gómez.
As for the Barrientos, which is expected to be international, it was convened from June 17 to 19, and at that time perhaps some of the stars could be here, before joining the summer tour of Europe.
Prior to that time, the national festivals by specialties will take place, starting with the Aurelio Janet (pitching) from May 20 to 22, at the Pan American Stadium in Havana.
The Manuel Pérez Casanova (show jumping) will be held in Camagüey from May 28-29, while the Rafael Fortún (speed) will be held in the same city from June 3-5.
The main change in the announced calendar is that by tradition all these festivals were convened before the Copa Cuba. "This time we place them better as a second moment to comply with the training planning. Covid-19 has forced us to redesign everything that was usual and adapt to the specific needs of the moment," said the former 2008 Olympic champion.
Athletics has an unusual situation in the current season, with indoor and outdoor world championships, in addition to the U-20 world championship, which is why we have had to make adjustments in the planning.
The World Championships in Eugene, United States, from July 15 to 24, should have been held in 2021, but was postponed for a year because of the Tokyo Olympic Games (also delayed by 12 months from its original date), hence the coincidence of the top indoor and outdoor events in the same season.
In the U.S. city, Cuban Yaimé Pérez will defend her reign in the discus and long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarría, who won bronze in 2019, will be ready to seek his first crown at that level.
Juan Miguel, silver in Tokyo, will not be in the winter season and according to his coach, Daniel Osorio, faces a training planning of a single structure, straight to the summer meetings.
GARORCHISTA DUPLANTIS SETS THE YEAR'S RANKING AT 6.04 METERS
One centimeter above the record that already had him as the year's leader, Sweden's Armand Duplantis dominated the pole vault at the Uppsala meeting, where he had no missed jumps.
The Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo set the top of the ranking at 6.04 meters and left as second and third at the meeting in Sweden the Americans Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot, with 5.92 meters each.
Duplantis insisted for the third consecutive time on "shooting" the world record. He attempted the 6.19 meters that would make him improve one centimeter from his own mark of 6.18 meters.
