Havana, September 18 (RHC) – Today, Cuban athletes lit up the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with epic and symbolic performances that propel the island’s sport to new heights internationally.
Leyanis Pérez, winner of the triple jump gold medal, led the charge with a time of 14.94 meters, her best time of the year. Roxana Gómez, sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 49.48, broke the all-time Cuban record. Anisleidis García debuted in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:31.35, also a national record. Daily Cooper, with a time of 1:58.16 in the 800 meters, sealed her place in the semifinals with the best time of her life.
Each wrote a unique chapter in the day. Pérez, barely 23 years old, emerged as the queen of the pit, shattering myths and banishing doubts with a jump that placed her at the top. On her fourth attempt, the Cuban propelled herself not only with her muscles, but with the encouragement of entire generations, to leave Olympic champions and living legends in her wake.
On the track, Roxana Gómez ran as if chasing a mirage, and by stopping the clock at 49.48 seconds, she broke the boundaries of what was possible for Cuba.
Sixth in the world in the event, she inscribed her name in hot letters in history, competing alongside champions of the caliber of American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Dominican Marileidy Paulino, who won gold and silver, respectively.
Meanwhile, Anisleidis García forged an uncharted path: that of Cuban long-distance runners at world championships. Her 15:31.35 minutes in the 5000 meters, more than a national record, was the first step toward a horizon where Cuban women refuse to resign themselves to watching long distances from the stands.
And on the double lap of the oval, Daily Cooper delivered a mature performance by qualifying for the semifinals. With a time of 1:58.16, she wove a strategy of wisdom and courage, accelerating at just the right moment to cling to the podium.
Cuban athletics found in Tokyo a narrative of resilience and future. A generation of women who, amid epic achievement and sacrifice, are carrying their country’s flag to the top of the podium of sporting memory.
