Yargelis Savigne of Cuba in the Triple Jump final (© Getty Images)
Cuba's World Triple Jump silver medallist Yargelis Savigne produced one of the highlight performances at the ‘19th Nocturna de Alcalá de Henares’ held last Saturday (24) night on the outskirts of Madrid.
The young and talented Cuban ace set a new career best of 14.85m in round 4 but her complete series of jumps speaks on itself on Savigne’s consistency as she leapt 14.37m or further up to four times.
The 21-year-old opened with a 14.37m effort in a tailwind of 1.0 m/s to improve to 14.53m (+0.3) in the next round. After a foul in round 3 Savigne managed an enormous leap measured at 14.85 (+0.6) to smash her previous PB of 14.82m when winning the silver medal at last year’s World championships held in Helsinki. The Cuban kept on her series with a foul fifth try to conclude with another fine performance of 14.44m into a headwind of 0.2m/s.
Savigne’s result was especially praiseworthy as she had not any real challenge since the runner-up athlete had to settle for a 13.54 mark. This was her second win in a row in the short gap of four days as she had clinched a solid 14.78 victory last Tuesday (20 June) on Spanish soil too (Huelva). But Savigne was only one of the many top Cubans competing in Guadalajara which has been their European-base during the summer for the last few years.
13.28 hurdles win for Dayron Robles. NR for Quiñónez
World Indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Dayron Robles also improved his lifetime best to 13.28 (+0.2) in the men’s 110m Hurdles. Drawn in lane 4 the 19-year-old grabbed a stunning victory ahead of his fellow Cuban Yoel Hernández who ran a season’s best of 13.39.
Spain’s Jackson Quiñónez erased Javier Moracho’s 19-year-old mark of 13.42 from the national record list with a 13.40 clocking to take third. The Ecuadorian-born hurdler beat European indoor silver medallist Felipe Vivancos who set a season’s best of 13.57, while Cuba’s former Olympic champion Anier García was timed in 14.07 and had to settle for fifth.
Calatayud doesn’t rule out NR
World 800m champion Zulia Calatayud contested her specialist event and had a comfortable win in 2:01.35, over a full second clear of Portugal’s Sandra Teixeira (2:02.73). On a statistical note it should be remembered that Calatayud’s PB remains the 1:56.09 she set in 2002. Asked on whether it’s already time to better her PB Calatayud said: “I can run faster than that at any moment”. Is the National record (1:54.44 by Ana Fidelia Quirot) unreachable? “Not at all, any time is manageable with hard work and perseverance” she added confidently.
Moreno and Menéndez succeed with ease
Reigning World and Olympic silver medallist Yipsi Moreno snatched an overwhelming win in the women’s Hammer Throw, as any of her six attempts was good enough to surpass Yunaika Crawford’s 70.11m release for second. Moreno had a fantastic series of throws as she exceed the 70m barrier in all of them: 73.61 – 71.10 – 72.48 – 70.84 – 72.07 – 73.43.
As for Osleidys Menéndez, the reigning World Javelin champion and record holder had a win over Sonia Bisset, as happened in Huelva earlier in the week. Their respective efforts on this occasion were 63.31 for Menéndez and 60.61 for the 35-year-old Bisset.
Olympic Shot Put champion Yumileidi Cumba was another successful Cuban thanks to a 19.22 third-round heave, while her compatriot Misleydis González surpassed 19 metres for the first time in her career as she unleashed 19.10 in round 5.
2002 World Junior 100m Hurdles champion Anay Tejada, also of Cuba, produced a fine 100-100 hurdles double with respective clockings of 11.36 (+2.8) and a season’s best of 12.88 (+0.7). On the men’s side reigning World High Jump silver medallist Victor Moya couldn’t go higher than 2.22 before failing three times over 2.25, while Alexei Copello came 8 centimetres shy of the 17.00 mark in the Triple Jump against a 1.5m/s wind.
Menjo clocks 27:29.45 in Baracaldo
Kenya’s Kiprono Menjo lowered his 10,000m PB of 27.39.47 set in Hengelo in late May by exactly ten seconds at a low-key meet in Baracaldo (Spain) held in slight rain on Saturday 24 June. Paced through the first six kilometre by Morocco’s Ayad Landassem (recent 5000 PB of 13:17.49 in Huelva) Menjo broke away from his fellow countryman Peter Kamais before halfway and managed his second PB, four days after he had claimed second place over 5000m to Uganda’s Boniface Kiprop in Huelva in 13:09.24. Menjo, who has his European base near Barcelona, romped home 22 seconds clear of Kamais (27:51.13) and rises to the top-ten on this year’s world list.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
