News06 Mar 2010


Robles and Savigne lead 13-member Cuban squad to Doha

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Cubans Yargelis Savigne (L) and Mabel Gay (R) celebrate winning the gold and silver medals in the women's Triple Jump final at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (© Getty Images)

World 110m Hurdles record holder and Olympic champion Dayron Robles and defending World Indoor Triple Jump champion Yargelis Savigne lead the 13-member squad who will represent Cuba at the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Doha, Qatar, 12-14 March.

“We will send 13 of our best athletes. They all have chances of contesting the final and many of them could win medals,” said Cuban team manager Javier Sotomayor from their European training base in Guadalajara, near Madrid, Spain.

Robles has been undefeated in his winter campaign of five races, and is currently ranked second on the world lists with 7.44, only slower than USA’s two-time world Indoor champion Terrence Trammell (7.41).

The 23-year 2008 Beijing Olympic champion aims to win his first World Indoor title, after winning silver in Moscow 2006 and failing to qualify for the semi-finals in Valencia 2008 due to his misjudgement of the start in his heat.

With China’s defending champion Liu Xiang confirmed, the men’s 60m Hurdles promises to be one of the most awaited finals in the Qatari capital.

Robles will be joined by his namesake and training partner Dayron Capetillo, who will make his first World Indoor championships outing after running 7.64 this winter.

Savigne aims for second indoor crown

Savigne is ready to defend her crown from Valencia, when she leapt a national record of 15.05m in the last round to give Cuba her only title two years ago in the Spanish city.

She has had a short winter season, but her opening and world leading 14.84m confirms her clear intentions to claim a second World indoor title. Her pedigree also shows the two World outdoor gold medals in Osaka 2007 and Berlin 2010.

“I feel very motivated coming to Doha. I am the defending champion. I am aiming again at gold and breaking my Area indoor record set in Valencia 2008. I will just focus on doing the right things on the track and giving myself, my family and my country another satisfaction,” said Savigne, the best Cuban sportswoman in 2009.

Cuba banks on the Triple Jump for her medals ambitions in Doha. Joining Savigne is Mabel Gay, who ripped the benefits of training with the world champion as she claimed a surprising World championships silver medal in Berlin.

Gay is back to the World Indoor championships after contesting the 2004 and 2006 editions. As in Budapest 2004, Mabel hopes to make it to the final and aim at a place on the podium.

Strong men’s triple jumping ambitions too

With same aspirations, 2008 Valencia triple jump runner-up David Giralt and four-time World championships medallist Yoandri Betanzos will arrive in Doha.

Betanzos, a silver medallist in Budapest 2004 and bronze winner in Moscow 2006, hopes to bring his good form to the podium again. He is currently ranked third on the world lists thanks to his 17.30m leap in Birmingham. He is followed by David Giralt Jr, who has achieved 17.27 and 17.26 this winter.

Both left 2009 World Championships bronze medallist and 17.24m performer this winter Alexis Copello out as a national team can only field up to two athletes per event.

Tejeda has medal hopes in women’s 60m Hurdles

Coming to her fourth World indoor championships, 2008 Valencia bronze medallist Anay Tejeda ended her pre-Doha campaign with two 7.95-second runs to win in Lievin on Friday.

After contesting the Long Jump finals in Valencia 2008 and the Beijing Olympics, Wilfredo Martínez hopes to repeat his February form in the Qatari capital. Last month, he produced three of the best six marks in his career including an 8.18m effort, which ranks him fourth on the 2010 world indoor lists. He is the only man to have jumped over 8.15 twice this winter.

The leader of the new generation in the Combined Events, 2008 Beijing Decathlon bronze medallist and Berlin runner-up Leonel Suárez will become the first Cuban to ever contest the indoor Heptathlon in the history of the World Indoor Championships and hopes to break the 6000-point barrier.

The Cuban squad also features World and Olympic finalist Misleydis González and Mailín Vargas (Shot Put), as well as Willian Collazo (400m-46.34) and David Lescay (60m).

Vargas, Collazo and Lescay will make their World Indoor Championships debut, while Olympian and 2007 Pan American Games bronze medallist Carlos Veliz withdrew from the selection due to an injury.

“We aim at repeating or improving our performance in Valencia, as well as including the highest number of athletes in the finals,” Sotomayor added.

Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF

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