Cuba
targets three Golds in IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships in Kingston
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
14 July 2002 - Havana, Cuba - Encouraged by the reggae spirit, thirteen of Cuba’s future track and field stars will go for at least three gold medals at the 9th IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships, starting on Tuesday in Kingston, the capital of the neighbouring island of Jamaica.
The small team aims to get close to the country’ best ever performance in this event (three gold, three silver and one bronze), which dates back to the inaugural championships in Athens '86.
They should improve the total of one gold, one silver and two bronze in the last outing in Santiago de Chile 2000.
Triple jumpers David Giralt and Mabel Gay, as well as 100-metre hurdler Anay Tejeda, the world leaders in their respective events, will try to end their junior careers with an important win en route to seniors.
Giralt, the homonymous son of the only Cuban jumper to beat Carl Lewis, has produced the best jumps this year: 16.84 in Havana and 16.75 two weeks ago when winning the Central American and Caribbean junior Champs in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The 17-year-old from Santiago de Cuba already clinched a silver at the World Youth Championships in Debrecen 2001, and will try to follow his compatriots’ wins in previous editions: Yoelbi Quesada (Seoul 92) and Rene Hernandez (Sydney 96).
The same event is also highlighted by Mabel Gay with equal merits. After taking the national junior standard to 14.29 and consistent leaps over 14 metres, the 19-year-old looks ready to reach the highest position on the podium.
In her short career, Gay boasts the World Youth title in Poland’s Bydgoszcz (1999), the fourth place in Santiago de Chile and the gold medal at the Ibero-American Champs in Guatemala, in May.
Both Gay and Giralt will be supported by Osniel Tosca (16.45), silver medallist in Debrecen and Arianna Martinez (13.90), replacing injured Yusmay Bicet (14.22).
Cuba also has great hopes in Havana’s Anay Tejeda, who has experienced great progress in the 100-metre hurdles.
Seventh in the Chilean capital two years ago, she led the junior performance list in 2001 with 13.07aand this season has seen her run over four legal sub-13 times, including two 12.93s in Portugal’s Funchal and in Bridgetown.
The 12.93 seconds are only 0.09 shy the world record, owned by the Cuban-born Spanish Aliuska Lopez.
Tejeda trains under the guidance of heralded coach Santiago Antunez, together with Olympic gold medallist Anier Garcia, Edmonton’s world championships fourth-placer Yoel Hernandez and 2000 world junior champion Yuniel Hernandez.
This trio -Tejeda, Gay and Giralt - is set to place Cuba in the good position at the medal tally.
The team also includes athletes well placed in the junior lists: Yargelis Savigne (LJ-6.46), Jesus Costa (110H-14.01), Jorman Jairo Guibert (LJ-7.70) and javelin throwers Yudel Moreno (73.72) and Yuneisis Rodrmguez (54.86).
Yudelkis Fernandez (LJ), Yuneisis Santiusti (800) and Mailmn Vargas (SP) complete the squad.
Cuba has participated in all previous World Junior Championships and in the coming edition will benefit from the similarity of the weather in Jamaica, plus the unforgettable experience to celebrate the 90th anniversary of IAAF.
High jumper Javier Sotomayor, javelin thrower Xiomara Rivero and 400-metre hurdler Emilio Valle opened up a successful path for their countrymen and women in the Championships’ 16-year history when they won in Athens in 1986.
Cuba has conquered 32 medals (12 gold-19 silver-11 bronze) and places seventh overall in the placing table, tenth in medals. Men contributed with 7-11-7, compared to women’s 3-8-5.
Individually, current javelin world champion and record holder Osleidys Menendez has been the nation’s only athlete to claim two junior titles, in Sydney ‘96 and Annecy ‘98.
In the last two editions- Annecy ‘98 and Santiago de Chile 2000, Cuba totalled 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals and placed 13th in the Chilean capital.
Menendez, Sotomayor, Yoelbi Quesada y Roberto Hernandez (400) are the only Cubans to win medals at both the World Junior Champs and the Olympic Games; others like 110-metre hurdler Anier Garcia, fifth in Lisbon ‘94, and long jumper Ivan Pedroso, fourth in Plovdiv ‘90, were less lucky as juniors but improved on time to reach Olympic glory in Sydney’2000.
Here are all the Cuban World Junior Champions and the island’s medal total in each edition:
Athlete Event Edition
Javier Sotomayor HJ Athens ‘86
Emilio Valle 400 H Athens ‘86
Xiomara Rivero JT Athens ‘86
Luis Bueno LJ Sydbury ‘88
Aliuska Lopez 100 H Sydbury ‘88
Yoelbi Quesada TJ Seoul ‘92
Raul Duany Decathlon Seoul ‘92
Yoel Hernandez 110 H Sydney ‘96
Osleidys Menendez JT Sydney ‘96
Rene L. Hernandez TJ Sydney ‘96
Osleidys Menendez JT Annecy ‘98
Yuniel Hernandez 110 H S. Chile 2000
Medals by edition:
Athens, 1986 (3-3-1)
Sudbury, Canada, 1988 (2-3-1)
Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 1990 (0-3-2)
Seoul, 1992 (2-4-1)
Lisbon, 1994 (0-3-2)
Sydney, Australia, 1996 (3-1-1)
Annecy, France, 1998 (1-1-2)
Santiago de Chile, 2000 (1-1-2)
