20-year old Yargelis Savigne (CUB) - 6.77m Long Jump (© Javier Clavelo)
Helsinki, FinlandCuban long jumper Yargelis Savigne started the 2005 season with 7 metres barrier on her mind, but in Europe rediscovered her potential in the Triple Jump. So with 15 metres now also a hope, she will contest both events at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki (6 - 14 Aug) which begin today.
Lack of competitions forces event change
The transition from the Long Jump to the Triple “is complicated. The Triple is more demanding. I managed to cope with it thanks to my speed and my strength. I have not done anything special”, said the 20-year old, the only one of the 26 member Cuban delegation who will compete in two events in the Finnish capital.
Savigne, from the eastern most Cuban province of Guantánamo, has shown very convincing results early this year, improving her personal best to 6.71m on 25 February, a mark she bettered to 6.72 a week later.
After another PB (6.77) at the Barrientos Memorial in Havana in May, Savigne was ready for her first European tour, but with no Long Jump competitions confirmed, her coach Milan Matos recommended her to give it a try at the Triple Jump. And the results were promising from the very beginning with a 14.12m performance using a nine-step run-up, to finish second in Bilbao, Spain, on 18 June. The winner was her countrywoman and Triple Jump specialist Yusmay Bicet (14.22), who finished ninth at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Another Cuban, 2003 Paris World Championships fifth place finisher Mabel Gay, was third with 13.85.
Five days later, Savigne impressed in Zaragoza with a 14.56 leap from an 11-step run-up and improved again to 14.63 in Padova, on 3 July, very close to her former countrywoman and now Italian Magdelín Martínez (14.69), who was third in Paris 2003.
“I trained for the Triple Jump when I was younger, but I never thought I would do it again. Milan has trained me well and now I am aiming to do both events in Helsinki. We’ll see what happens when I do my complete run-up (15-16 steps)”, she added.
An athletic partnership
Coincidentally, Savigne shares her private life with World indoor record holder Aliecer Urrutia (17.83), who was overwhelmed by her results and gave her some tips during a short stay in Cuba.
“Like me, he never thought I would Triple Jump and he gave me extra motivation to aim for the 15 metres”, she continued.
She made a pause in her European tour to win the 2005 CAC senior title in Nassau, 11 July. She landed beyond seven metres there, but left one hand behind and her leap was measured 6.88, aided by a 4.6 m/s wind.
Back in Europe, she concluded her competitive preparation with a 6.79m (windy) win in Soria, Spain, on 27 July.
“I train for the Long Jump, which is my main event”, insisted Savigne, coached by Milan Matos, who has guided Iván Pedroso to nine World titles (indoors/out) and the 2000 Olympic gold in Sydney. Ibrahím Camejo will be his third pupil in Helsinki.
With Yusmay Bicet out due to an injury, Savigne has become the country’s leading athlete in the Triple Jump qualification on Saturday (6).
Mabel Gay, who had a delayed season start due to an injury, shows a season’s best of 14.21, plus a 14.44w.
If they qualify for the final, they will contend for the medals on Sunday (7). There will be little rest for Savigne as she will face the Long Jump qualification on Tuesday and luckily the final the following day.
“If we train well and stay injury free, we can aim for seven and fifteen metres. I have a good base and I hope to achieve them in Helsinki. If that happens, I will be very close to the medals, but I prefer to focus on the marks.”
Championship debut
Helsinki will mark Savigne’s debut in a major championship. Overshadowed by her training partner Yudelkis Fernandez, Savigne’s most important international result was a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.
In her limited free time, the oldest of four siblings loves to go to the beach, go camping and do some dancing. She is looking forward to seeing her four-month old brother, her family in her hometown Guantánamo.
Guantánamo has produced great athletes like Javelin thrower Maria Caridad Colón, the first Latin American woman to clinch an Olympic gold (Moscow 1980), 2004 Shot Put Olympic champion Yumileidi Cumbá and Luis Mariano Delis, a World and Olympic medallist in the 1980’s.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
