THIS INTERESTING COVERAGE FROM HAVANA WAS PUBLISHED FIRST ON THE IAAF WEBSITE at www.iaaf.org
Moreno opens with 70.99m at Barrientos Memorial
Saturday 21 May 2005
Havana, Cuba - Double World Hammer Throw champion Yipsi Moreno opened her season with a 70.99m win, as two CAC junior records fell at the 54th Barrientos Memorial track meet on Thursday and Friday (19-20 May) in Havana.
In her first outing since the Olympic final in which she finished with silver, the 24-year-old from Camaguey opened her series with her winning mark and backed it up with a 69.94m toss.
I had a good start considering it is my first competition after a long time. It could have been better, but we have time to work on many details on the way for the Worlds", commented the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, who sprained her left ankle and had to stop training for several weeks at the end of last year.
Arasay Thondike, who will turn 19 on 28 May, was surprised with her notable progress as she smashed the CAC junior Hammer record with a 68.74m effort, two and a half metres more than Moreno’s junior mark (66.34) from 1999.
Yunaika Crawford, the Olympic bronze medallist, was third in 66.33.
“I prepared our athletes to help Yipsi get out of her bad moment when she got injured after the Olympic Games. She now has had a good result with only two months of full training. What she needs now is to compete", assessed their coach Eladio Hernandez.
Hernandez now counts on Thondike to be the third Cuban Hammer thrower in the World Championships in Helsinki. Their next stop could be the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Seville on 4 June.
CAC junior record in High Hurdles
The other CAC junior record fell in the men’s 110m Hurdles when 2004 World Junior Championship silver medallist Dayron Robles clocked 13.47 in an event won by Yoel Hernandez (13.42). Robles, 18, erased Alejandro Casanas’ 13.55 standard, set in 1972.
Two-time Olympic medallist Anier Garcia reacted very slowly to the gun believing there was a false start. He made up some ground but had to be content with a third place finish (13.61).
Neither Olympic champion on show
The Island’s two 2004 Olympic champions were absent. Shot putter Yumileidi Cumba is currently competing in Brazil (Belem IAAF GP, Sunday 22 May) while World Javelin record holder Osleidys Menendez has only just resumed training after a three-week stop due to an elbow injury and she did not want to risk her recovery.
The only foreign winners at the Barrientos were Dominican Republic’s 2003 Pan American Games champion Juana Rosario Arrendel in the women’s High Jump (1.91) and Jamaica’s Alonzo Barnet in the men’s 100m (10.51).
“It is very motivating to jump 1.91 at this time of the year and after a disappointing 2004 I want to return to the world elite where I was in 2003”, with her 1.97 best, said Arrendel.
In the women’s Long Jump, 20-year old Yargelis Savigne moved up to the third spot in the 2005 world lists thanks to her 6.77m win to break the meet record.
“I was expecting to jump around 6.85 and I am obviously happy as I met the standard (6.75m) for the World Championships. I want to stay consistent and the national record and seven metres continue to be my goal this year", stated a happy Savigne.
In the men’s event, nine-time (indoor and outdoor) World champion and 2000 Olympic gold medallist Iván Pedroso claimed the title with a his opening 7.92m effort, three weeks after his promising 8.22 win in Fort-de-France.
Excellent junior results
Apart from Thondike and Robles, other junior athletes excelled in the track events. 16-year old Aymée Martinez was second in the women’s 400m with a national Youth record of 52.57, behind Libania Grenot (51.71).
In the men’s event, 18-year old William Collazo clocked 45.50, following home 2003 Pan American Games silver medallist Geyman López (45.19).
Yarisley Silva also broke the national Pole Vault junior record by clearing 4.10m, the same height of runner-up Maryoris Sánchez.
They are all expected to star at the National Junior Championships, to be held next weekend in Santiago de Cuba.
Other results
In the field, other notable performances were achieved by Guillermo Martínez (82.22) and Sonia Bisset (62.06) in the men’s and women’s Javelin Throw respectively, and Frank Casañas (64.93) and Yania Ferrales (63.60) in the men’s and women’s Discus Throw.
In the 400m Hurdles, 2002 Iberoamerican champion Sergio Hierrezuelo broke the meet record with a personal best of 49.11, ahead of national record holder Yacnier Luis (49.77) and Yausbel Poll (49.86 PB).
Cubans honoured
As part of the Barrientos Memorial, the oldest track meet in the Caribbean (founded in 1946), 12 former and current world senior and junior record holders were honoured, coinciding with the centennial of the first athletics competition ever held on the Island.
They were Javier Sotomayor and Silvia Costa (High Jump), Pedro Pérez Dueñas and Aliecer Urrutia (Triple Jump), Alberto Juantorena (800m), Hermes Ramírez, Silvia Chivas and Enrique Figuerola (100m), as well as Juan Morales (110m Hurdles), Yipsi Moreno (Hammer Throw), Osleidys Menéndez and Ramón González (Javelin throw).
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
RESULTS
The 2005 Barrientos Memorial winners,
(all Cubans except when specified)
Women
100m 11.71 (0.0) Misleidys Lazo
200m 23.34 (+1.7) Roxana Díaz
400m 51.71 Libania Grenot (51.56 in SF)
800m 2:01.41 Zulia Calatayud
1500m 4:20.84 Adriana Muñoz
5000m 16:38.77 Yudelkis Martínez
100m H 13.06 Anay Tejeda
400m H 58.33 Yaniuska Pérez
HJ 1.91 Juana R. Arrendel DOM
PV 4.10 NJR Yarisley Silva
LJ 6.77 CR Yargelis Savigne
TJ 14.02 Yarianna Martínez
SP 17.18 Maylin Vargas
DT 63.60 Yania Ferrales
HT 70.99 Yipsi Moreno
JT 62.06 Sonia Bisset
Heptathlon 5542 Cheilyn Povea
4x100m 44.95 Cuba A (López, Díaz, Lazo, Benavides)
4x400m 3:31.36 Cuba A (Terreno, Calatayud, Pena, Grenot)
20m Walk 1:37:05 Yarelis Sánchez
Men
100m 10.51 Alfonzo Barnet JAM
200m 20.88 Alexander Reyes
400m 45.19 Geymán López
800m 1:47.85 Maury S. Castillo
1500m 3:44.76 Raúl Neira
5000m 14:19.14 Liván Luque
100m H 13.42 (0.0) Yoel Hernandez
400m H 49.11 Sergio Hierrezuelo
3000m St 8:56.11 José A. Sánchez
HJ 2.26 Víctor Moya
PV 5.00 Lázaro Borges
LJ 7.92 Iván Pedroso
TJ 16.76 David Giralt
SP 18.65 Alexis Paumier
DT 64.93 Frank Casañas
HT 72.35 Erick Jiménez
JT 82.22 Guillermo Martínez
Decathlon 7620 Alexis Chivas
4x100m 39.97 Cuba A (Cesar, Pita, Reyes, Vizcaíno)
4x400m 3:06.96 Cuba A (Garzón, Pérez, Lucas, López)
20m Walk 1:32:46 Víctor Álvarez