Nine of Cuba’s top athletes are traveling to Europe on Wednesday to take part in preparation rallies ahead of the San Salvador Central Caribbean Games (June) and the World Championships in Budapest (August).
Leading the group is the triple jump world champion, Lázaro Martínez, and the leader of the world ranking in that specialty, Leyanis Pérez, informed the national commissioner of athletics, Rolando Charró, in declarations to Radio Habana Cuba (www.radiohc.cu).
Wrapped in her best season, Leyanis (21 years old), has just become the leader of the world ranking with the best result of her outdoor career (14.80m), achieved in the recent Copa Cuba, the national championship.
Her debut in the summer tour will be next Sunday in Rabat (Morocco), where the Olympic finalist and second in the world ranking, Liadagmis Povea (14.73 in the Cup), will also compete.
Lázaro Martínez, meanwhile, will make his debut at the Diamond League in Florence (Italy), on June 2, where he will try to improve his result at the Cuba Cup (16.98 m). Martinez jumped last May 5 in the Diamond League of Doha 17.71, although with wind in his favor (+3.4).
The first to compete of the athletes traveling this Wednesday will be the Pan American champion and world fifth place in high jump, Luis Zayas, this Friday in Jaen (Spain).
Although he did not stand out in the winter season, Zayas has started the outdoor campaign in style and has just jumped 2.28 at the Copa Cuba.
“I had never jumped 2.28 in Cuba, we are very happy. That record tells us that better results will come,” his trainer, Juan Francisco Centelles, told Radio Habana Cuba.
He added that his student has improved a lot in the impulse run and said that during the tour he expects him to compete 6 or 7 times, with a view to the Centrocaribes in San Salvador.
The remaining Cubans traveling on Wednesday are Roxana Gómez (400 m), Cristian Nápoles (triple), Rose Mary Almanza and Saily Diago (800) and Silinda Morales (discus), together with trainers Ricardo Ponce, Yoelbis Quesada and Ricardo Molina.
Also traveling today are doctor Fidel Frias and physiotherapist Maykel Dihigo.
The debut of Roxana, Olympic finalist in Tokyo-2020, is scheduled for Sunday in Forbach (Germany), where Almanza and Napoles will also make their debuts.
Silinda Morales is scheduled for May 31 in Montreuil (France).
Other Cuban athletes are already in Europe to participate in the summer tour.
