World Youth Athletics
Havana, Aug. 17 (JIT) - Cuba will be represented by ten exponents in the World Youth Athletics Championships in Lima 2024, which between August 27 and 31 will resume the emotions left by this sport in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Leading the group are hurdler Jocelyn Echazabal and triple jumper Gian Carlos Baxter, ranked third and fifth, respectively, in the universal ranking for under-20s.
She will arrive at the Videna Athletics Stadium, in the Peruvian capital, as one of the candidates to fight for medals in the 100 meter hurdles -0.99 cm high in this category- thanks to her personal record of 13.06 seconds.
Only the Jamaican athletes Kerrica Hill (12.85) -the defending champion- and Habiba Harris (12.95) have better records this season, although the French Laura Mountauban (13.07) and Shaina Myers (13.08), who completes the Jamaican trio, also show excellent marks for that age group.
Gian Carlos, who this year has reached 16.20 meters, will surely have to surpass that mark to aspire to awards in a scenario in which the Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert, winner of the Cali 2022 edition, when he was only 18 years old, stands out.
Hibbert, fourth in the summer event of Paris 2024, is the current world record holder in the category with 17.87 meters and although in the current campaign he has "only" been able to reach 17.75 meters, his favoritism is beyond any doubt.
Cuba will also enter Anthony Martinez, whose most outstanding result is a leap of 15.71 meters.
Rafael Macbeath, technical director of the category, explained to JIT that three boys were competing for the two places that the rules of the competition set for each country. The final selection was based on their respective rankings.
The Cuban representation in the men's events is completed by Yander Herrera (110 meters hurdles-13.50 seconds), Javier Noris (javelin-71.60 m) and Emmanuel Ramirez (shot put-19.22 m).
Along with Jocelyn, Dianelys Alacán (long jump-6.22 meters), Ariday Girón (triple jump-13.21 m), Neilyn Rodríguez (discus-53.29 m) and Camila Rodríguez (400 meters-53.24 seconds) will compete.
The organizers announced that more than 1,700 competitors from 134 countries have confirmed their participation in the competition. The largest delegations are from the United States (100), Germany (92) and Australia (68).
In addition to the aforementioned Hill, Estonian Karmen Bruus (high jump) and Uzbek Sharifa Davronova (triple jump) will be defending their Cali 2022 reigns.
