Irving Saladino (PAN) jumps to 8.26m in Santiago (© Francisco Ibarra)
Panamanian long jumper Irving Saladino, who is having a wonderful 2005 season, leaped to 8.26m, the best performance of the “Memorial Orlando Guaita”, which took place Sunday 8 May, at the “Estadio Nacional” in Santiago de Chile.
Saladino was aided by a 0.3 m/s wind on his best effort, and had a steady series of jumps: 8.09/-1.1; 8.13/-0.2; 8.22/-0.4; 8.26; Pass and 7.73/-0.9. His previous best – and also national record – was 8.18m, and it was improved in his third and fourth attempts. In second place was Brazilian Rogério Bispo with 7.68m. Bispo has jumped 8.15 this season.
Saladino’s effort from Sunday places him, so far, as number 3 in the 2005 World lists. He also has the furthest jump of the year, a wind-aided leap of 8.51m (2.3) achieved in São Paulo just a month ago, 2 April 2005, the same day as the 8.18m.
The 22 year-old from Ciudad de Colón, began in athletics following his brother, who ran 100 and 200 metres. “Unfortunately our sport doesn’t receive the required attention, but now I’m being supported, and I was able to move to Brazil at the end of 2004 to train with Nélio Moura, with whom I progressed immensely. My goals for this season are to first advance to the IAAF World Championships final, and then try to fight for a medal.”
Saladino also bettered the meet record set by Jamaican James Beckford with 8.07m in 2003, and said he had come to Chile “to improve my personal best and I did it, so I’m very pleased. We still have some serious technical issues to continue working on with Nélio, and we are going to do that work in the time we have until Helsinki.”
Two nights previously to the Guaita, Saladino jumped 7.93m on a chilly evening in the Andean city of San Fernando, competing in another meet of the South American Grand Prix circuit.
Sunday afternoon (8 May) was much nicer in Santiago, close to 20º C of temperature, and other performances were also better. Brazilian athletes, who were tuning-up for the upcoming IAAF GP events in Rio de Janeiro (15 May) and Belém (22 May), took most of the victories.
Basílio de Morães and Lucimar de Moura won the 100 and 200 metres (10.29/2.2 and 20.68/-0.7 for Basílio; 11.40/-0.6 and 23.03/0.8 for Lucimar); Anselmo Gomes da Silva the 110mH in a personal best of 13.53/1.0; Fábio Gomes da Silva the Pole Vault in 5.40m, Eliana da Silva the High Jump in 1.87.
Raphael Fernandes took the 400mH in 50.20 with Uruguayan Junior Andrés Silva third in 50.56, a new national record. Ecuadorian Byron Piedra was first in the 1500 metres in 3:41.61 and Venezuelan Manuel Fuenmayor won the Javelin Throw with 76.56m.
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
