Nassau BAH - In the Central American and Caribbean region and, indeed the World, Cuba has been a force to reckon with in athletics. Cuba first participated in the Olympic Games in 1904 in St. Louis. This year the country celebrates “A Century of Athletics” from May 18-21st in Havana. Their high level meeting The Barrientos Memorial will be contested May 20th and 21st.

Cuba has competed in the Olympics 15 times and has won a total of nine gold medals, seven by women and two by men. The gold medalists are:

1976- Montreal	Alberto Juantorena	400m, 800m WR
1980- Moscow	Maria Colon	Javelin
1992- Barcelona	Maritza Marten	Discus
	Javier Sotomayor	High jump
2000- Sydney	Anier Garcia	110m Hurdles
	Ivan Pedroso	Long jump
2004- Athens	Osleydis Menendez	Javelin
	Yumileidi Cumba	Shot

World Records

At present, two Cubans hold world records. Javier Sotomayor, the only person to clear 8ft in the High Jump, set his second World Record at the Central American and Caribbean Senior Athletics Championships in San Juan in 1989.  Osleidys Menendez set her 71.54m record in the Javelin in Rhethymno, Greece, in 2001.

Sotomayor’s first and thirth records, 2.43m and 2.45m was set in Salamanca, Spain in 1988 and 1993.

This will be the first time that Performance Incentives or Prize Money are awarded in these Championships.

At the CAC Championships in the Bahamas any athlete breaking a world record will pocket $50,000 from the organizers.

NACAC RECORDS

Cubans hold seven North American Central American, and Caribbean records.

Sotomayor holds the NACAC High Jump record at 2.45m.

Menendez is the NACAC Javelin record holder at 71.54m done in 2001.

Yipsi Moreno’s 75.18m in the Hammer was done in 2004.

Ana Quirot ran 1:54.44 for the 800m record in 1992.

Silvia Costa is the record holder for the High Jump with 2.04m done in 1989.

Yamile Aldama, who is now a Sudanese citizen, holds the record in the Triple Jump at 15.29m.

Hilda Ramos established the Discus record in 1992 at 70.88m.

Any athlete achieving a NACAC record will be awarded $10,000.

All the above records are also CAC records. Athletes breaking CAC records are awarded $5,000.

CAC Records

CAC records In addition to those World and NACAC records above are held by the following Cubans:

Men 110m Hurdles - Anier Garcia- 13.00sec

Javelin - Emeterio Gonzalez- 87.12m

Women Pole Vault- Katiuska Perez- 4.20m

2004 Athens Olympics

At the Athens Olympics in addition to the gold medals by Menendez and Cumba, Cubans won three other medals, silver by the 2001 and 2003 World Champion in the Hammer, Yipsi Moreno, and bronze by Anier Garcia in the 110m Hurdles, and Yunaika Crawford in the Hammer.

Sonia Bisset also placed sixth in the Javelin.

2000 Sydney Olympics

At the Sydney Olympics Yoel Garcia won silver in the Triple Jump with a 17.47m performance. The team of Jose Cesar, Luis Perez, Ivan Garcia, and Freddy Mayola won the bronze medal in the 400m relay in 38.04 secs. Menendez won a bronze in the Javelin.

2003 Paris World Championships

In Paris, at the World Championships, Moreno won the gold in the Hammer. Two years previous in Edmonton Ivan Pedroso won the Long Jump, with Moreno and Menendez winning the Hammer and Javelin respectively.

2001 Edmonton World Championships

Cuba won three gold medals in Edmonton. Ivan Pedroso won the Long Jump for an unprecedented fourth straight time. Ypsi Moreno won the Hammer and Menendez won the Javelin.

1999 Seville World Championships

At the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Pedroso won the gold in the Long Jump and Daimi Pernia won the 400m Hurdles.

An Early Start

Cuban athletes usually compete quite early in the season, before heading to Europe. So far this season three Cuban athletes have already posted world leading marks.

These marks are at April 17th.

World Record holder and Athens Olympic Champion Osleidys Menendez owns the top throw at 64.24m in the Javelin. Sonia Biset has the seventh best throw at 59.48m.

Jamaican Olivia McKoy, her closest non Cuban rival, is ranked 5th on the list at 59.87m.

In the men’s Triple Jump Paris World Championships silver medalist Yoandri Betanzos leads the global list with a 17.39m performance. Newcomer Osniel Josca is third on the list with a 17.08m performance.

In fourth place on the world list is veteran Yoelbi Quesada, the 1997 World Champion in 17.03m.

Yusmay Bicet heads the world women’s Triple Jump list with a 14.54m performance. In fourth place is Yaima Kindelan in 13.73m. Yarianna Martinez is in 8th place with a 13.52m jump.

Olympic Champion Yumeleidi Cumba is in second place in the Shot at 18.80m. Trinidadian Cleopatra Borel Brown is right behind in third at 18.44m. Another Cuban, Misleidis Gonzalez is fifth at 18.37m. In eighth place is Jamaican Kimberley Barret at 18.19m.

Yania Ferrales is in second place in the discus with a 64.40m toss. In 9th place is Yarelis Barrios with a 59.85m effort.

In the Women’s Long Jump Yargelis Savigne is in second place with a 6.72m performance. Yudelkis Fernandez is in fourth place with a 6.70m jump. Bahamian Jackie Edwards is in seventh place at 6.58m.

Coming in at fourth place in the men’s High Jump is Lisuany Perez with a 2.29m height. Victor Moya has the same height and is in fifth place. Yunier Carillo is in eighth with a 2.26m jump. The closest regional athlete is Gerando Martinez at 2.25m.

In the Women’s High Jump Yarianny Arguelles is in fourth place at 1.90m. Colombian Caterine Ibarguen is in thirteenth place at 1.87m.

In the men’s Long Jump Ibrahim Camejo is third on the list with a 8.20m effort. Panamian Irving Saladino is 5th on the list in 8.18m.

Guillermo Martinez is in fourth place in the Javelin with an 82.12m effort. Emeterio Gonzales is in seventh place at 80.50m.

Yunaika Crawford the bronze medalist in Athens is in seventh place in the Women’s Hammer with a 69.30m effort. Trinidad and Tobago’s Candice Scott is in 13th place on the list with a 68.08m performance.

Performances of Cuban athletes should improve at the Barrientos Memmorial before they leave for their European campaign.

If you have noted that the Cubans are strong in the field events, this is certainly true. They are the most technically strong nation in the region, and export coaches throughout the region for technical support.

Leadership

Alberto Juantorena, the 1976 double gold medalist is the president of the Cuban Track and Field Federation. Juantorena has been a member of the Council of the International Association of Athletics Association, the world governing body of the sport since 1987.

Bahamas Awaits

When the Cubans first participated in the Bahamas twenty years ago at the CAC Championships they were quite impressive. Bahamians are looking forward to their Cuban brothers to the south performing even better this year, thrilling the 15,000 fans expected at the XX Central American and Caribbean Senior Athletics Championships on the Bahamian Independence weekend, July 7-11th.

They should also win their share of Performance Incentives and Prize Money.