Cuban triple jumpers ready for their debut in Rome

Havana, June 5^th. - A day dedicated to relieving travel fatigue and getting some light work in is what Cuban triple jumpers Leyanis Pérez and Liadagmis Povea will face today. This Friday, they will debut in the 2025 Diamond League at the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala in Rome.

Although they arrive at a disadvantage—having not been present in Doha on May 16—Leyanis and Povea are favorites to compete for the prizes and earn their first points for the circuit ranking.

In the Eternal City, they will face Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts, winner in the Qatari city with 14.72 meters, and Dominican Thea Lafond, Olympic queen in Paris 2024 and second in the aforementioned event with 14.39 meters.

We were working well in Cuba, and although I haven't set a goal for her yet, I think she could be around 14.50 meters, Leyanis's coach, Ricardo Ponce, told JIT shortly after arriving at the venue.

The time change and the long trip could have a slight impact, but I don't think it'll be anything significant. I repeat, I'm leaving her free for this first international outdoor competition of the season, explained the man who coaches the current world indoor champion and also the 2024 diamond champion.

Since she's already secured qualification for the Tokyo World Championships and the Diamond League final, there's no pressure. We're going to work on technical perfection, doing well, and then the rest will come, she emphasized about what she's discussed with her student.

Leyanis has no jumps recorded in the outdoor season rankings, as in the only national competition she attended in Havana, she preferred to test herself in the long jump.

Povea won't face any pressure at the start of the year either. She arrives in Rome with a 14.38 mark on the 23rd at the Pan American Stadium, and as is her custom, she's expected to start her international career with a strong record.

Also registered in Rome are France's Illionis Guillaume, who finished third in Doha, Spain's Ana Peleteiro-Compaoré, Romania's Ana Maria Ion, Slovenia's Neja Filipic, and American Jasmine Moore. (Text and photo: JIT)