Yargelis Savigne winning in Linz (© Photo Plohe)
World champion Yargelis Savigne and World leader Dayron Robles lead the 12-member Cuban team to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, to be held in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.
Both hope to end the Island's seven-year gold medal drought in the championships.
Savigne, winner of the Triple Jump gold at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, aims to win her first indoor title and break the 15m barrier under the roof of the Palau Lluis Puig in the Spanish city.
This winter, she jumped 6.77m in her season debut, very close to her Long Jump national indoor record (6.79) and led the Triple Jump world lists with 14.77m, also near her national indoor record (14.80).
Different from Moscow 2006, when she competed in both events, she will only focus on the Triple Jump in Valencia.
The 23-year old from the easternmost province of Guantánamo hopes to become the second Cuban woman to win a World indoor crown, a feat only accomplished by Aliuska Lopez in another Spanish city, Barcelona, in 1995.
Perfect lead-up to Valencia for Robles
In the men's field, Dayron Robles has completed an almost perfect campaign in the lead-up to Valencia.
Having clocked eight of the 10 fastest times this winter, he first broke the CAC record in Stuttgart on 2 February, before improving it to 7.33, the second fastest performance of all-time, six days later in Düsseldorf.
That time is just 0.03 seconds off Great Britain's Colin Jackson's world record of 7.30, set in 1994.
After his runner-up place in Moscow 2006, "my only target is the gold medal. I won't be satisfied other than that. The title is more important than the World record which I feel capable of breaking," Robles explained.
The 21-year old sensation looks forward to racing with China's reigning Olympic and World 110m Hurdles champion Liu Xiang.
"I only know that he's competing in Valencia which means more rivalry and that's good for me, no problem. But I train everyday to become the best athlete in the world so I don't fear anyone, including Xiang," confirmed a confident Robles.
He hopes to equal the feat of his compatriot Anier Garcia, who became World indoor champion on his 21st birthday in Paris, in 1997.
Yoel Hernandez, a five-time World Championships finalist (three outdoors and two indoors) and Anay Tejeda, who ran 7.90 to erase Aliuska Lopez' 13-year old national indoor record, will also compete in the 60m hurdles.
Triple Jump traditional strength
The Island also carries high hopes in the men's Triple Jump with Osaka fourth place finisher Osniel Tosca and three-time World Championships finalist David Giralt, who left 2004 and 2006 World indoor bronze medallist Yoandri Betanzos out.
Tosca was the most consistent this winter and Giralt secured a spot after jumping 17.42m and 17.50m in Havana.
Victor Moya, the 2005 Helsinki runner-up in the High Jump, hopes to improve his fourth place finish in Moscow 2006.
2004 Olympic champion Yumileidi Cumbá will contest her sixth World Indoor Championships in the Shot Put and plans to regain a top placing as she did four years ago in Budapest (silver).
She will be joined by World and Olympic finalist and 2007 Pan American Games champion Misleydis González.
Wilfredo Martínez, the 2007 Pan American Games silver medallist, was selected in the Long Jump after landing at 8.10m at the Spanish Indoor Championships in Valencia.
Martínez, Tosca and Giralt are the only three athletes on the 12-member squad to make their World Indoor Championships debut.
In the flat sprints, Henry Vizcaíno hopes to make it to the 60m final again as he surprisingly did two years ago in the Russian capital.
At 33, Virgen Benavides is the oldest athlete in the team and returns to the World Indoor Championships after contesting the 60m semi-finals in Birmingham 2003.
A major player in the World Indoor Championships since the World Indoor Games in Paris 1985, Cuba ranks fifth in the combined medal tally of the past 11 editions.
The Island has collected 35 medals (13 gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze), led by long jumper Ivan Pedroso, who claimed five consecutive World titles (1993-2001) and Javier Sotomayor, who won four, including Budapest 1989, where he broke the still-standing World Indoor record with 2.43m.
However, Cuba has not won a World Indoor crown since Ivan Pedroso stroke his fifth gold in a row in Lisbon 2001. Two years ago, it collected a silver (Dayron Robles in the 60m hurdles) and a bronze medal (Yoandri Betanzos in the Triple Jump).
Cuban team for Valencia and their best indoor marks
Men
60m Henry Vizcaíno (PB 6.63-2007/ 6.65 in 2008)
60m H Dayron Robles (7.33-2008) and Yoel Hernandez (7.40-2000/7.60)
HJ Victor Moya (2.31-2007/2.30)
LJ Wilfredo Martinez (8.10-2008)
TJ David Giralt (17.39-2007) and Osniel Tosca (17.25-2007/17.11)
Women
60m Virgen Benavides (7.16-2004/7.24)
60m H Anay Tejeda (7.90-2008)
TJ Yargelis Savigne (14.80-2007/14.77)
SP Yumileidi Cumbá (19.31-2004) and Misleydis Gonzalez (18.56-2004)
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
