Osleidys Menendez (CUB) (© Getty Images)
Osleidys Menendez the women's World Javelin record holder opened her 2004 season with a 63.54m performance last weekend. The two day meeting (Fri 20/ Sat21 Feb) was one of a series of special competitions being held for the benefit of the Cuban national team in the months of February and March.
Menendez opened her series on Friday with an 62.44m effort and then released her purple Nemeth javelin at 63.54, using only a five step approach in the first two rounds.
A foul was followed by a 64 to 65m throw, but one of her earrings fell over the throwing line on to the field and the effort was declared a foul. She ended her series with 61.90 and 60.70.
"I am happy with my first outing of the year. I really wanted to compete as my last meeting was the 2003 Paris World Championships (5th). I woke up today with a stomach ache, but I could control it and my right ankle did not hurt this time fortunately," said a satisfied Menendez.
2001 World championships bronze medallist Sonia Bisset posted some opposition with a 62.74 best effort on her second attempt, but she stopped her series after the fourth round due to a minor muscle injury. Noraida Bicet finished third with 56.92.
Pain to her right ankle in training
After a three-week training camp in the Isle of Youth, Cuba, Menendez had produced two 63m throws in a training test last week, but she had to stop due to a pain in the right ankle, when she rotated it in order to release the 600g implement.
"It was an excellent start and we hoped to end the first part of our training (March 15) with 65m," her coach Dionisio Quintana assessed. She is expected to have three more competitions in the successive weeks.
Determined to make up for low 2003 season in Athens
"My training is going very well and I want to keep challenging the javelin", a smiling Menendez added. The 2001 World champion hopes to improve on her Sydney bronze medal in the Athens Olympic Games.
The best Cuban sportswoman in 2001 and 2002 is the only Latin American female athlete to have ever broken a World senior record (71.54m on July 1, 2001). She is now determined to leave behind a poor 2003 season, in which she could only grab a bronze medal in the Pan American Games and a fifth place finish in the Paris Worlds.
Other notable winners...
Other notable winners at the meeting were Yusmay Bicet (14.11) and Yoennis Perez (16.52) in the Triple jump, Victor Moya in the High jump (2.25), Yania Ferrales (60.70) and Lois Maikel Martinez (61.82) in the Discus, as well as Yoelmis Pacheco (7.79) and Yargelis Savigne (6.52) in the Long Jump. Yosvany Suarez (69.74) and Damisela Aguilera (59.68) dominated the Hammer.
On the track, 18-year old William Collazo impressed with his 46.65 win in the 400 metres. Libania Grenot bettered her personal best by half a second to win the one-lap flat race in 51.68.
Jose A. Cesar (10.49) and Misleidis Lazo (11.80) claimed the top honors in the 100 meters, while Yahumara Neyra (13.0 hand timed) and Carlos Patterson (13.99) led the highest hurdles.
World Youth champions Dennis Fernandez (Triple Jump) and Lisandra Rodriguez (Discus) improved their personal bests to 16.20m and 50.42m respectively. Three juniors went over 16 meters in the Triple Jump, led by Alexis Copello (16.52). 16-year old Yuneimis Soria also impressed with her 51.10 last effort in the women's Discus.
The two-day meeting had international participation as part of a project called "Cooperation and friendship through sport", involving four 17-member teams (aged 15-22) from Cuba, Nicaragua (Technical University of Managua), England (Hercules Wimbledon Athletics Club in London) and France (Rouen ASP TT).
Of the foreign athletes, Nicaragua's Carmen Daniel Hernandez won the 1500m with a new national junior record of 3:57.56.
The Cuban national team will continue to hold local meetings at Havana's Estadio Panamericano in February and March, as part of their preparation for the Olympic Games. The double World Hammer champion Yipsi Moreno is expected to make her season debut this weekend.
