Cuban Athletes Win Medals in Berlin

HAVANA TIMES, Aug. 17 – Cuba’s female triple jumpers gave the island its first two medals at the Berlin 2009 World Championship in Athletics.  Yargelis Savigne won the gold medal and compatriot Mabel Gay took the silver.

The athletics championships are being broadcast on Cuban TV.  Along with Boxing, Judo, Volleyball and Baseball, athletics is the discipline where Cuba has gone the farthest in international competitions.

Savigne jumped 14.95 meters and Gay 14.61.   Savigne was one of the favorites to win the event but Gay was considered a long shot.

The popular Beijing Olympic gold medalist Dayron Robles will compete in the 110-meter finals on Thursday August 20.  He said he hopes to deliver his prize to former president Fidel Castro as a birthday gift.  Castro turned 83 on August 13th.

On Sunday, the headline grabber at the meet was Usain Bolt’s spectacular 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash.  Bolt now says he hopes to lower his world record to 9.4 seconds, a time unthinkable not long ago.

Meanwhile, Cuba’s Zulia Calatayud qualified for the second round in the 800-meter event, finishing third on time (2:02:23) among the 24 competitors.

The other Cubans moving on to the next round were javelin thrower Osleidys Menendez (61.94), first in her group and fifth overall, and men’s triple jumpers Alexis Copello and Arnie David Girat, reported Monday’s Granma newspaper.