Cuban triple jumper Leyanis Pérez
Havana, July 2 (RHC) - Cuban athletes such as Leyanis Pérez (long jump), Luis Zayas (high jump) and Roxana Gómez (mixed relay) are among the Cuban athletes who will fight for medals this Monday in the second day of athletics at the Central Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023.
The day at the Magico Gonzalez stadium will feature activities in 11 events, 8 of them finals, to which 13 of the 19 Cubans announced in the start lists will be able to participate.
For Leyanis, one of the stars of the moment in the triple jump, it will be a test of fire in her debut in regional events, as she will make her debut in her second event (long jump), in which her compatriot and heptathlete Adriana Rodríguez is also among the candidates for the top of the podium.
Born 21 years ago in Pinar del Río - far west of Cuba - Leyanis is going through a splendid year, in which she has achieved personal bests in the triple jump (14.87m) and long jump (6.52) and has shone in the prestigious Diamond League.
In addition to Adriana (6.64m), among the main rivals of Ricardo Ponce's student will be Colombia's Natalia Linares (6.58) and Puerto Rico's bronze medalist five years ago in Barranquilla, Alysbet Felix (6.54).
Another title option for Cuba appears in the mixed 4x400 relay, in which Cuba will depend on its world champions of the women's relay in Silesia-2021, Roxana Gomez and Lisneidy Veitia, and the men Yoandys Lescay and Leonardo Castillo.
With a national record of 3.16.91 a few days ago, the Cuban mixed relay is one of the candidates for gold along with the Dominican Republic, owner of Olympic and world medals. The Dominicans will have their men's stars Alexander Ogando and Lidio Felix, but will be without their two women's stars, Olympic and world runner-up Marileidy Paulino and Fiordaliza Cofil.
Paulino, the great illusion of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean to reign in the World Championship in Budapest (August), will run in San Salvador the 400 flat and the women's 4x400, while Cofil decided not to attend the regional competition.
High jumper Luis Zayas, Pan American champion in Lima-2019 and fifth world champion in Doha, that same year, will seek to recover for Cuba the title in the specialty, won by Bahamian Donald Thomas in Barranquilla-2018. Cuban Sergio Mestre was crowned in Verecruz-2014.
Zayas, owner this season of his best outdoor record in history (2.31m), will have some rivals of consideration as the Puerto Rican Luis Castro (2.30) and the Mexicans Erick Portillo (2.28) and Edgar Rivera (2.27).
