Cuban athletics to return to the Olympic golden road

Returning to the Olympic golden path could be one of the goals of Cuban athletics in the upcoming summer event in Paris 2024, scheduled to be held July 26 to August 11.

Since Beijing 2008, with the titles won by Yipsi Moreno in the hammer throw and Dayron Robles in the 110-meter hurdles, the sound of the National Anthem has not been heard in an Olympic multisport competition..

In Tokyo 2020, long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarria came close to ending that “spell”, but was denied by Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou.

Echevarria, indoor world champion in Birmingham 2018 and outdoor bronze medalist in Doha 2019, in the Japanese capital it seemed that he would touch the glory, but in the last jump Tentoglou left him with the desire to equal the 8.41 meters (m) of the Cuban, but with a better second record.

In short, one silver medal and two bronze ones were Cuba's achievements in the king of sports on Japanese soil, thus improving the previous performance in Rio de Janeiro 2016, in which only Denia Caballero, a disc thrower, managed to come in third place.

Maykel Masso (long jump) and Yaime Perez, in the discus throw, delighted the Cuban sports fans with their bronze medals, along with Juan Miguel's silver medal, although once again the coveted gold prize did not come.

For several reasons, none of these three athletes will represent the Caribbean nation at the Olympic Games in the City of Light, so it will be up to others to take the lead.

Cuba will go to the French capital with 18 exponents of athletics, a list headed by triple jumpers Leyanis Perez, Lazaro Martinez and Cristian Napoles, world medalists.

In the case of Perez, who due to her great level shown since last year and in the current season, in which she has been very close to surpassing the 15.00 m barrier, seems to be the one with the greatest options to bring a great joy and makes even dream that the island can take the crown in the triple jump.

Of course, it will not be easy, with the unfortunate absence due to injury of Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, world record holder, as well as several times world champion and Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo 2020.

Perez, silver medalist at the universal indoor event held in Glasgow, Scotland, last March, and bronze medalist at the World Outdoor Athletics Championships in Budapest 2023, has everything to win, but she will have high quality rivals.

She could mention Thea Lafond, from Dominica, winner of the title in Scotland, as well as the Ukrainian Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, silver medalist in the Hungarian capital, and the Spanish Ana Peleteiro, who won the bronze medal in the Japanese summer event.

As for Lazaro Martinez and Cristian Napoles, winners of the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in Budapest, they have not had their best performances so far this season, but they already know what it is like to be among the triple jump elite and have shown that they are competitive, so they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Other athletes such as triple jumper Liadagmis Povea, 400 m flat runner Roxana Gomez or high jumper Luis Enrique Zayas, could advance to the finals of their events, although it seems very unlikely to think about medals.

What is certain is that Paris 2024 will be a competition of the highest level, as always happens in those Olympic arenas, so every detail will count to reach the podium or try to be included among the finalists.