Cuban athletics with a very good performance at Junior Pan American Games, Cali 2021

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 6 (CAN) With an outstanding performance totaling 18 medals, including nine gold ones, Cuban athletics shone at the First Junior Pan American Games, Cali 2021, which concluded on Sunday.

In this continental multi-sport event for young people, the Caribbean nation's track and field specialists finished in second place by country (9-6-3), very close to Brazil (10-12-8) and ahead of Ecuador (9-2-2), completing the leading trio in the king of sports.

For Cuban champions and other nations, the reasons for celebration were greater because, in addition, they qualified for the Pan American Games (absolute) in Santiago de Chile 2023.

Therefore, in two years they will be among the protagonists of the best in the sporting arena of the continent, as a sign that they are the present and the future of a discipline with many admirers in the world.

Returning to what happened in Cali, for the island and its athletics that event will undoubtedly be a very nice memory, with many outstanding performances and athletes who shone with their own light.

Silinda Morales was in charge of opening Cuba's golden path, in an event in which her teammate Melany Matheus won the silver medal.

Then followed the triumphs of Cuban octagonist Daily Cooper and long jumper Maikel Vidal, the latter with a personal best of 7.97 m, surpassing his lifetime best by three centimeters.

Other winners were Greisys Roble, with her victory in the 110 m hurdles final, and Yoao Puentes, winner of the 400 m hurdles(50.91 seconds), his most outstanding record, lowering for the first time the 51 seconds.

And when it comes to emotions, Marys Adela Patterson added a great dose with her amazing finish in the exhausting heptathlon event, scoring 5,663 points.

Patterson arrived in the last competition of that modality in second place, but she wanted the title and took the extra of the champions in the 800 m flat, in which she marked a time of 2:23.73 minutes to add 774 units that allowed her to conquer the crown.

Similarly, Leyanis Perez showed in the women's triple jump that she is “beyond expectations", dominating with 14.39 m, although she had other marks of 14.12, 14.22, 14.23 m and 14.34 m, which would have been enough to win the event.

On Saturday, December 4, Yaritza de la Caridad Martinez (67.47 m), in the hammer throw, and the triple jumper Andy Hechavarria put the "icing on the cake" with their titles.

Thus, in summary, it can be seen that Cuban track and field more than fulfilled at the First Junior Pan American Games, although there will always be dissatisfactions, such as the fact that the sprinters once again had discreet performances, but the reasons to celebrate are undoubtedly greater.