Cuban triple jumper Leyanis Perez
Havana, January 4 (COCO)-- Cuban Leyanis Perez wants to be an Olympic champion, according to an interview with her colleague Javier Clavelo and it is one of the headlines of his recent review on the talented Cuban jumper who is on the cover of the official World Athletic website.
The girl, a native of Pinar del Rio, is the most promising revelation of the year and one of the greatest talents of contemporary Cuban athletics.
Her name began to circulate very early in the season and as the season progressed, she grew stronger and stronger until she reached a peak performance of 14.53 meters in June, during the European pre-Olympic tour.
Prior to that she had jumped over 14 meters in seven home meets at home, including a national U20 record of 14.48 meters that secured her a spot on the Cuban national team for the Tokyo Olympics and the U20 World Championships in Kenya.
However, during his last day of training in Spain before flying to Tokyo he suffered a muscle contraction in his right leg and was unable to recover in time to compete in either world event. She missed the Olympic Games and also the World Championships for under-20s without tarnishing a 2021 season where she jumped over 14 meters in 10 of the 12 official competitions she faced and achieved several personal bests, in addition to shattering the national youth record of 14.36 meters, until then held (since 2009) by another great talent such as Dailenis Alcantara.
"Being in Tokyo and not being able to compete was a big blow and missing the U20 World Championships was also difficult to accept. But my coach, mom, godfather and fellow athletes supported me in those difficult moments," she added in the note titled Emerging triple jump talent Perez turns the disappointment of Tokyo into a great motivation.
The 1st Pan American Junior Games in Cali offered him the chance to redeem himself. There he finally had the opportunity to showcase himself and he took full advantage of it, leaving no room for doubt.
"It was a beautiful experience. I wanted to secure a mark from my first attempt and go for more in the following rounds. I thank everyone who has supported me and it makes up for not competing in Tokyo," reflects the 19-year-old after winning continental gold in Cali with a jump of 14.39. She surpassed 14 meters in her five jumps: 14.23, 14.39, 14.34 and 14.12, to confirm her quality.
Now, when she rests her emotions and assimilates the immediate challenges that include a pair of world championships in 2022: the indoor one to be held in Belgrade and the outdoor one in Eugene, United States, she understands her goals and draws lessons from each of the events she has experienced.
"Watching the Olympic final live at Tokyo Stadium was a great motivation for me," she said. "I want to become an Olympic champion and I will go step by step to reach my goals."
The girl is part of the present of the Cuban triple jump in the women's sector. She shares leading roles with Liadagmis Povea and Davileydis Velazco, and is writing a trajectory that suggests a promising future. She has enormous talent, and she has already begun to show it.
"I consider myself a fast jumper and there is a lot I can improve. I need to strengthen my left leg and improve my running. I have full confidence in my coach and in my ability to keep improving, step by step," she said.
Her coach, Ricardo Ponce, attests to this: "She has the rare talent of being tall, fast and well coordinated. She has great potential and we will guide her through her physical and mental growth," he said.
Leyanis has become a pleasant challenge; her talent has left no one indifferent. She is one of those athletes that summons perfection; that invites us to put all our cards in favor of her development. After all, Yulimar Rojas at the age of 19 barely reached 13.65m and Yargeris Savigne had not even tried this specialty.
