Osleidys Menendez of Cuba wins gold in the women's javelin (© Getty Images)
Olympic champions Osleidys Menéndez and Yumileidi Cumbá produced their 2005 bests while other Olympic and World medallists won their respective events at the Cuban National Championships, held from 17 to 19 March at the Estadio Panamericano in Havana.
Short run-up
Menéndez, who had started her season a week earlier with a 58.51m release, went much further this time. After an early world season leading 64.29m in the opening round and a foul, she threw 62.70, with only a five step run-up. Unsatisfied with the rest of her throws, she the intentionally foot fouled them, but both valid marks were enough to grant her an eighth national title.
”I didn't have much competition this time and are not obviously in our best form. It is a good mark considering the period of training now. I can't ask for more and I still have to improve some technical errors. As training progresses, I should continue to improve,” she stated.
Different from last year, Menéndez is following one training period for 2005, instead of two, because she ended the 2004 season in September and resumed the preparation in November. “It is a long way, we are now in the middle of the hardest work. I want to train well to recover my world title.”
Sonia Bisset, the 2001 World Championships bronze medallist and two-time Olympic finalist was a distant second with 59.48, followed by Maria C. Alvarez (58.09).
20m the aim
Also on the final day of the competition, Cumbá ended her first training stage with a 18.80m toss, 0.20m shorter than she had hoped for but sufficient to beat her training partner and Olympic finalist Misleidys González, who had beaten her a week ago by 0.05m (18.37 to 18.32).
”I felt well and my rivals also had a good performance. You always want more, but it is a good result for this time of the season. I hope to keep improving and reach the most desired 20 metres and also win a medal in Helsinki", commented a smiling Cumbá.
González was second in 18.25 and Maylin Vargas third with 16.90.
Athens Olympic bronze medallists win too
After a good indoor campaign in Europe, Anier García ran his first 110m Hurdles races. After a 13.70 win in the first semi-final, the 2000 Olympic champion clocked 13.63 to beat his archrivals Yoel Hernández (13.74) and Yuniel Hernández (13.78) to claim his fifth national crown, the first one since 2000.
Yunaika Crawford won her first national Hammer throw title with a 69.30m attempt in the second round, in the absence of two-time World champion and Olympic silver medallist Yipsi Moreno, who has not fully recovered from a sprain in her right ankle. Arasay Thondike, 18, continued to improve and took the 4kg implement to 66.15m, just 0.19 off the national junior record and once world junior standard set by Moreno in 1999.
Also in the field, Olympic finalist Yusmay Bicet produced another solid 14.54 to win the women's Triple Jump, while 2003 World championship silver medallist Yoandri Betanzos dominated the men's contest in 16.93, his only valid jump, far from his 17.39 season best. After hard rain the previous night, the triple jumpers felt slow on the runway and could not match their early season form. Alexis Copello second in 16.77, followed by David Giralt (16.64) and Yoelbi Quesada (16.55).
Aiming high
The High Jump saw Cuba's best athletes improve their personal bests. First, Yarianny Arguelles finally cleared 1.90, the fourth Cuban to reach that mark ever, to beat 1993 World champion Ioamnet Quintero (1.81).
The following day, Olympic 11th-place finisher Lisvany Pérez and Víctor Moya added one more centimetre to their life best to reach the A-standard (2.29) for the World Championships in Helsinki. As the bar was raised to 2.32, they ordered 2.33 instead of 2.31 and failed in their three attempts.
“It was a good competition and I am convinced we can jump higher. I felt a bit unconfident due to a minor muscle pain in my right leg,” said Perez, who won the contest as he cleared 2.29 in his first attempt. In Moya's opinion, “it's the first time we try 2.30 or more at this time of the year. I still have to improve my run-up.”
After their indoor debut this winter, they believe that "if we are given the opportunity to compete with the best athletes, we could have four Cubans in the world elite", referring to Yunier Carrillo, third with a personal best of 2.26, and Dailen Ortega (PB 2.23).
Since World record holder Javier Sotomayor's retirement in 2001, this new group hopes to join the 2.30m club, a mark only reached by three Cubans (Sotomayor, Marino Drake and Juan F. Centelles) and achieved by 14 men in the world this winter.
Yeiman Lopez, a World and Olympic semi-finalist over 400m, has decided to focus on 800m this year and after a fast first lap of around 50 seconds he went on to post a personal best of 1:46.61, ahead of 20-year old Maury Castillo (1:47.04), who had won the 1500m a day before.
Two-time 2003 Pan American Games champion Adriana Muñoz claimed the 800m-1500 double. In the latter event, she clearly beat 800m Olympic finalist Zulia Calatayud, third in 4:23.84.
Pedroso takes low key seventh national title
Ivan Pedroso, the 2000 Olympic and nine-time World champion (indoor/outdoor), won his seventh national title, the first since 2000, with a wind-aided 7.79. "It was like training as I competed with my training partners, young guys with good perspectives. It was not a good day for long jumpers due to an irregular wind and I hope this will be better during the Barrientos Memorial in May. The injury in my right ankle took longer to heal so I started my preparation later than expected. I am not worried about the result. I just wanted to break the ice and I hope to be 100% fit this summer.”
Reiner Reyes was second in 7.75, while Ibrahim Camejo, who had leapt 8.20 in February, abandoned the contest after a strong muscle pain in his third jump. He had to be content with a bronze medal (7.69).
The women's event was taken by Yudelkis Fernandez (6.53), followed by Yargelis Savigne (6.49).
The men's Javelin was also very attractive. Guillermo Martínez took the 800g implement over 80m in the first two rounds, including his winning mark (81.36), ahead of three-time Pan American champion Emeterio Gonzalez (80.50), Yudel Moreno (78.07), Máximo Rigondeaux (76.90) and 20-year old Anier Boué (76.26).
Katiuska Pérez was the closest athlete to break a national record as she equalled her Cuban standard in the Pole Vault with 4.20.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
The list of 2005 Cuban champions is as follows:
Men
100m: Luis A. Reyes 10.59
200m: Luis A. Reyes 21.03 (+1.2)
400m: William Collazo (J) 46.40
800m: Yeiman López 1:46.61 PB
1500m: Maury S. Castillo 3:44.36
5000m: Livan Luque 14:36.29
10.000m: Aguelmis Rojas 30:10.18
3000m ST: Osmani Calzado (Y) 8:53.78 PB
110m H: Anier Garcia 13.63 CR
400m H: Sergio Hierrezuelo 49.81
HJ: Lisvany Pérez 2.29
PV: Lázaro Borges 5.00m
LJ: Iván Pedroso 7.79w (+2.6)
TJ: Yoandri Betanzos 16.93 (0.3)
SP: Alexis Paumier 18.80
DT: Frank Casañas 60.61
HT: Erick Jiménez 72.60
JT: Guillermo Martínez 81.36
Decathlon: Alexei Chivas 7518
4x100m: Ciudad de la Habana 40.98
20km Walk: Loisel Gutiérrez 1:29:23
Women
100m: Virgen Benavides 11.39 (0.0)
200m: Roxana Díaz 23.54 (0.0)
400m: Lisbania Grenot 52.43
800m: Adriana Muñoz 2:04.37
1500m: Adriana Muñoz 4:17.85
5000m: Yudelkis Martínez 16:28.04
10.000m: Mariela González 34:45.72
100m H: Anay Tejeda 13.24 (0.0)
400m H: Yaniuska Pérez 58.99
HJ: Yarianny Arguelles 1.90 PB
PV: Katiuska Perez 4.20 =NR
LJ: Yudelkis Fernandez 6.53 (+1.4)
TJ: Yusmay Bicet 14.54 (+1.4)
SP: Yumileidi Cumba 18.80 CR
DT: Yania Ferrales 60.52
HT: Yunaika Crawford 69.30
JT: Osleidys Menendez 64.29
Heptathlon: Yasmiani Pedroso 5512
20km Walk: Yarelis Sánchez 1:41:49
4x100m: Santiago de Cuba 45.85
4x400m: Ciudad de la Habana 3:41.83
Y- Youth, under 18 years old
J- Junior
