Four golds in the start of paralympic athletics

March 21, 2021

Cuba achieved four gold medals, one silver, and one bronze on the first day of the Grand Prix of track and field for people with disabilities in Tunisia, which awards points to the ranking qualifying for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Omara Durand, together with her guide Yuniol Kindelán, and Leinier Savón, conquered the top honors in the one hundred meters, both in the T12 category (visually impaired). The five-time Paralympic champion stopped the clock at 11.97 seconds, and Savón clocked 10.75, very close to his personal record of 10.70.

The other winners in the Tunisian competition were Robiel Yanquiel Sol (T47-upper limb amputee), in the long jump, and Leonardo Díaz (F56/57-wheelchair), in the discus throw. The jumper stretched to 6.77, short of the 7.31 achieved in Havana, recently, while the discus thrower propelled the implement to 43.34 meters.

Already qualified for Tokyo, like Omara Durand, javelin thrower Uliser Aguilera (F13-visually impaired) finished second, with 56.51; and in bronze was Noraivis de las Heras, in the discus throw, with 29.27.

By press time, results from the second day of the Tunisia event were known, in which Omara Durand prevailed once again, this time in the 200 meters event, with a time of 24.60 seconds. On the same evening, javelin thrower Guillermo Varona (F46, upper limb impaired) threw the javelin to 57.77 meters, and was followed on the podium by his teammate Yorzan Monterrey (F43, lower limb impaired), whose javelin landed at 50.54 for the silver medal. Also second, in F64, finished another Cuban javelin thrower, Gerdan Fonseca, who recorded 48.79 meters. The same placement, but in the T74, upper limb amputee, was achieved by Cristián C. Guillén, in the 400 meters.

The multiple-time Paralympic champion Yunidis Castillo (T47) overcame the discomfort she still carries and finished third in the 400 meters with a time of 1:03.39 minutes, far from her best capability.