Long jumper Yankiel gives Cuba first gold in Paralympic Games

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 31 (ACN) Cuban long jumper Robiel Yankiel Sol Cervantes, barely 18 years old, gave the first gold medal to Cuba in the XVI Paralympic Games taking place until September 5 in the Japanese city of Tokyo.

He was one of the most pleasant surprises for the Cuban delegation, which was rubbing its hands for its star, the sprinter Omara Durand Elías, to open this very day her golden box in the medal table.

The youngest member of the Cuban athletics team came here in search of experience and will leave golden against opponents of great value, although petrified this time in the new Olympic stadium of the Japanese capital.

Among them are Frenchman Arnaud Assoumani, world record holder with 7.58 meters since 2011, and American Roderick Townsend, Paralympic leader with 7.41 meters in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

But Yankiel jumped 7.46 meters on his first attempt and set the tone in a competition in which six rivals surpassed the seven-meter barrier. His winning record will go down in the books as the new limit for multisport events.

After the initial jump, Sol Cervantes reached 7.37 and 7.20, passed on the fourth attempt, then stretched to 7.23 and fouled on the goodbye. Townsend took the silver medal with 7.43 meters and Russia's Nikita Kotukov the bronze with 7.34.

"I always followed the instructions of my coach Luis Bueno. He totally trusted me and there is the result," expressed the brand new champion in the interview area of the facility.

"The competition was strong. Six jumpers were over seven meters. The first thing I thought of, when I knew I was champion, was my mother. I owe her almost everything I am," he reaffirmed.

"I also owe a lot to other people, especially to my current coach, Luis Alberto Bueno Chávez, and to those who initiated me, Lien and Geike, from the municipality of Plaza. They convinced my parents and me to practice athletics," he said with healthy pride.