Yipsi Moreno of Cuba celebrates her world hammer gold medal (© Getty Images)
, Cuba World champion Yipsi Moreno has improved her national Hammer record three times in four days, to 74.07 metres, and that throw together with the performances of her countryman, Sydney Olympic champion (110m H) Anier Garcia, and the Jamaicans Brigitte Foster and Jermaine Mason, provided the highlights of the 53rd Barrientos Memorial (31 May), despite heavy rain in Havana's Estadio Panamericano.
The 22-year old fouled in her first attempt and then took the 4-kg implement out to 73.70m. In the third round, she added 27cm for a superb 74.07. Her fourth throw was 'only' 69.02, before the rain forced the cancellation of the rest of the event. Her training partners Yunaika Crawford (70.05) and Aldenai Vasallo (63.65) accompanied on the medal podium.
Moreno erased the 72.47m mark that had given her the national title three days earlier and established her as the fourth longest thrower of all-time list, behind Romania's Mihaela Melinte (76,07), Russia's Olga Kuzenkova (75,68) and France's Manuela Montebrun (75,20).
“There are days when things come out perfect and it happened to be today. I stayed focused on technique and the marks give me a lot of confidence and showed me that I can break the World record.”
After placing fourth in Sydney, she was the surprise winner of the World title in Edmonton 2001 and will start with great chances of repeating her gold in Paris.
”There are many athletes at a similar level and it's only the start of the season, but I am more confident with such a PB,” said Moreno.
Anier Garcia, the Olympic sprint hurdles champion, made his outdoor season's debut and easily won in 13.80 seconds, followed by Carlos Patterson (13.97) and Jesus Costa (14.07).
”It's not a fast time, but I really wanted to race in front of my crowd and reinforce this competitive feeling inside", said Garcia, who ended his winter season with a silver medal in the 2003 World Indoors in Birmingham.
A week after bettering her national record and setting the fastest 100 metres Hurdles time of the year in Eugene, Jamaica's Olympic finalist Brigitte Foster opted to run the flat 100m dash and improved her personal best to 11.17 to equal the meet record, ahead of the Cubans Roxana Diaz (11.47) and Misleidis Lazo (11.53).
”I am glad with my time, considering the wet track but what can I say about the weather, it's nature and I can't help it. It's always a pleasure to run the Barrientos meet, as Cuba is known to have a rich tradition in athletics. Now I just want to stay healthy, continue to run fast and hopefully break my national record again, but basically stay healthy and have fun while I do it", said the smiling 28-year old from St. Elizabeth.
Germaine Mason also of Jamaica, the first man to clear 2.30m or more outdoors this season (2.31), won the High Jump with 2.24, in a close battle with 2001 Pan American junior champion Lisvany Perez, who needed two more attempts to achieve the same performance.
”I am glad to compete in the country of Javier Sotomayor, the greatest jumper ever. I only jumped 2.00m here in 2001 so this meet really built up my confidence as I am coping with slight injuries in the last three weeks,” said the former 400m runner, whose main aim this year is the Pan American Games and the Worlds in Paris.
The 20-year old, who ended his junior career in 2002 with a bronze medal at the World juniors on home soil in Kingston, cleared 2.30 indoors and achieved 2.31 in Belem, Brazil on 4 May.
Another Jamaican Christopher Williams, the 200m silver medallist in the 2001 Edmonton Worlds, only clocked 10.67 for seventh in 100m final, which was won by his countryman, Asafa Power, who clocked 10.36 in his season's debut.
The area's oldest track meet also gathered athletes from Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, the Netherland Antilles, also preparing for the Pan Am Games this summer.
The rain delayed the competition twice for over an hour, and some events were cancelled - women's Javelin and men's Long Jump - so World javelin champion and record holder Osleidys Menendez was unable to compete. Other events, like the Triple Jump and the men's Shot Put, were stopped after the third round and the women's Pole Vault was interrupted when the height was at 3.80m.
The National Champs and the Barrientos Memorial were the first tests for the best Cuban athletes and 32 of them will cross the Atlantic for their European circuit. They will be based in Italy and compete until mid-July, when they will join the national delegation for the Pan America Games in Santo Domingo.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
Barrientos winners, all Cubans, expect when mentioned.
Men:
100: 10.36 Asafa Power (JAM)
400: 46.32 Glauder Garzon
800: 1:49.85 Yerman Lopez
1.500: 3:48.34 Yoandri Carballo
5.000: 14:12.70 Francisco Bautista (MEX)
110 H: 13.80 Anier Garcia
400 H: 49.86 Sergio Hierrezuelo
HJ: 2.24 Jermaine Mason (JAM)
PV: 5.00 Frank Cespedes
TJ: 16.38 Yoandri Betanzos
SP: 19.65 Alexis Paumier
DT: 60.84 Frank Casañas
HT: 71.88 Yosvany Suarez
JT: 76.55 Isbel Luaces
Women
100: 11.17 Brigitte Foster (JAM)
400: 52.87 Ana A. Peña
800: 2:05.32 Adriana Muñoz
5.000: 16:12.99 Yudelkis Martinez
100 H: 13.25 Anay Tejeda
400 H: 58.07 Yudalis Diaz
HJ: 1.86 Romary Rifka (MEX)
PV: 3.70 Yarisleidys Silva
LJ: 6.28 Yargelis Savigne
TJ: 13.98 Mabel Gay
SP: 18.50 Yumileidi Cumba
DT: 59.97 Yania Ferrales
HT: 74.07 Yipsi Moreno
