Nelson Acosta for IAAF
21 May 2001 – Havana – The Cuban Athletic Federation announced on Saturday a 47-member preliminary team led by Olympic champions Ivan Pedroso and Anier Garcia for the forthcoming IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, next August.
Another name that stands out is Olympic silver medallist and world high jump record holder Javier Sotomayor. 33-year-old Sotomayor “is training very well and is at his best,” said Eduardo Perez, Cuba’s team leader.
Pedroso and Garcia, who won the long jump and the 110m hurdles respectively in Sydney, resumed training only a few days ago after suffering from minor injuries after the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon last March.
“We don’t want to rush things, Edmonton is the most important competition of the year and we’ll be ready on time,” explained the official. Perez also revealed that the pair will not take part in next week’s “Memorial Barrientos Cup” where teams from nine countries including Jamaica, Ecuador, Dominica, Puerto Rico and Venezuela have already confirmed their participation.
The competition will nevertheless be a general rehearsal for several Cuban athletes who will then start their European tour during which they are expected to perform at their best and match the qualifying standards for Edmonton.
The 47 Cuban athletes will make the trip to Europe in three different groups and their first appearance will be Jena, Germany on 2 June. They should then go to Milan (6 June), Seville (8 June) and Dortmund (9 June), where Pedroso’s summer debut is expected to take place. Cubans are also expected to compete in Bratislava, Helsinki, Lille and Saint Denis.
Cuba’s deepest event – the triple jump – is also expected to bring medals in Edmonton. “I am working very hard on speed in order to improve my personal best of 17.62m this year,” said Yoel Garcia, Olympic silver medallist in Sydney after an impressive training session in Havana. Together with Garcia, the 1997 world champion Yoelbi Quesada and world indoor record holder Aliecer Arrutia will represent Cuba in Edmonton.
In Seville 1999, Cuba won two gold medals with Ivan Pedroso and Daimi Pernia (400m hurdles) and two silver medals with Anier Garcia and Yamile Aldama (triple jump).
