La Habana CUB - Silver medallists from Helsinki 2005 - Yipsi Moreno (Hammer Throw), Yargelis Savigne (Triple Jump) and Victor Moya (High Jump) - along with sprint hurdles sensation Dayron Robles, the silver medallist at the World indoor Championships last year, lead a 32-member Cuban squad for the upcoming World Championships in Osaka.

Although registered in the 800m and 4x400m, Zulia Calatayud is yet to decide whether she will defend her world title over two laps. Another top name is 2004 Olympic Shot Put champion Yumileidi Cumba, although she has had a low par season due to physical problems.

Notable absentees include World and Olympic Javelin Throw champion Osleidys Menendez and nine-time World Long Jump champion Ivan Pedroso. Menendez decided to miss Osaka to fully recover from an Achilles injury in her left leg and prepare to defend her Olympic title in Beijing 2008.

"I dream of a new world record in Beijing and I want to prepare the best possible way. I still feel pain in my left leg. I have to stop it when I throw the Javelin," she said.

The 27-year old won the global crown in Edmonton 2001 and Helsinki 2005. In the Finnish capital, she became the first Latin American woman to smash a World record in the World Championships when she threw the 600m implement to 71.70m. She has been in all World Championships finals since 1997.

For a different reason, nine-time world champion and 2000 Olympic gold medallist Ivan Pedroso will miss Osaka after seven consecutive attendances since 1993. The 34-year-old, who has jumped eight metres or longer in 18 consecutive seasons, was only fourth at the Pan American Games in Rio, in July, a performance which failed to convince the Cuban Federation on his chances to make it to the final in Osaka. Pedroso's and 2007 Pan American Games silver medallist Wilfredo Martinez' absence will mark the first time the Long Jump will not have Cubans in the history of the World Championhips.

Although more athletes made the IAAF entry standards, their performances at the Pan American Games were the No. 1 criteria officials analysed to select the squad.

In Helsinki, Cuba achieved two gold (Calatayud and Menendez) and four silver: Savigne, Betanzos, Moreno and Moya. The best historic performance dates back to Athens'97, when they obtained four gold, one silver and one bronze.

The Cuban team for Osaka:

Men:

100m - Henry Vizcaíno

400m - William Collazo

800m - Yeimer Lopez

110m hurdles - Dayron Robles and Yoel Hernandez

High Jump - Víctor Moya

Triple Jump - Yoandri Betanzos, Osniel Tosca and David Giralt

Javelin - Guillermo Martínez

Decathlon - Yordanis Garcia and Alberto Juantorena Jr or Leonel Suarez

Women:

100m - Virgen Benavides and Misleidys Lazo

200m - Roxana Diaz and Aymee Martinez

400m - Indira Terrero

800m - Zulia Calatayud

100m hurdles - Anay Tejeda and Yenima Arencibia

Triple Jump - Yargeris Savigne and Arianna Martinez

Shot Put - Yumileidi Cumba and Misleidis Gonzalez

Discus Throw - Yania Ferrales and Yarelis Barrios

Hammer Throw - Yipsi Moreno, Yunaika Crawford and Arasay Thondike

Javelin - Sonia Bisset

Heptathlon - Gretchen Quintana

4x100m - Benavides, Lazo, Diaz, Tejeda

4x400m - Daimi Pernia, Martinez, Calatayud, Terrero