Yipsi Moreno of Cuba celebrates her world hammer gold medal (© Getty Images)
Cuba is having a wonderfully successful World Championships in Edmonton. On Monday Osleidys Menendez won the women’s javelin, then last night Yipsi Moreno added the women’s hammer title and still they have Javier Sotomayor, Ivan Pedroso and Anier Garcia as good medal prospects later this week.
The athletics tradition in Cuba is strong and the presence of IAAF council member Alberto Danger Juantorena presenting medals to Cuba’s winners at these championships rekindled memories of his 400m-800m double at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Cuba’s athletes take great inspiration from such deeds of the past. After winning the women’s javelin gold medal on Monday night, Menendez was quick to stress the influence that both 1980 Olympic javelin champion Maria Colon and world high jump record-holder Sotomayor have had on career.
However, in stark contrast, 19-year-old Yipsi Moreno, who won the women’s hammer gold medal yesterday, said that far from being inspired by any former Cuban stars, she had taken up hammer throwing “totally by accident”.
“When the women’s hammer was first introduced into Cuban athletics (about six years ago) there was nobody who wanted to specialise in the event," said Moreno. "Cuba desperately needed to find a women’s hammer thrower and I was it. I really didn’t have much choice in the matter. I was told to do the event."
Cuban officials confirmed the story, explaining that a dearth of possible women hammer throwers in the 1990s meant that Cuba’s first national record (in the low 40m region) was actually set by a basketball player, Yamile Martinez, a Sydney Olympian.
On reflection, Moreno is obviously glad that the decision to throw the hammer was made for her. “To win this title is a dream for me. Today my technique was almost perfect. I have been guided by coach Eliadio Hernandez (who won the men’s hammer title at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games). If I have ever needed inspiration, I have taken it from him.”
