Cuban Triple Jumper Davisleydi Velazco Returns to Compete for Cuba After Breakout Season

September 11, 2026

Triple jumper Davisleydi Velazco, who established herself this season as one of the best in the world, has decided to rejoin the Cuban Athletics Federation and compete for the island again with immediate effect, according to several Cuban outlets. The Camagüey native will make her official return this week at the first edition of the Ultimate Championship, held September 11-13 in Budapest, Hungary, alongside fellow Cubans Leyanis Pérez and Liadagmis Povea.

Velazco had left Cuba in 2023 after feeling her athletic career had stalled. "My career seemed stuck. I saw no projection or growth. Since 2020 I'd held the same mark," she said of her decision to settle in Puerto Rico, where she began training under Cuban coach Ubaldo Duany and competed independently, without representing any national federation.

Under Duany's guidance, the jumper underwent a remarkable transformation: she won the Oslo Diamond League meet on June 11, 2026, and eight days later cleared the 15-metre barrier for the first time in her career with a 15.13-metre jump in Doha, Qatar — one of the best marks in Cuban women's triple jump history. She closed the Diamond League regular season with a runner-up finish at the Brussels final on September 5, with 14.82 metres.

According to Cuban reports, Velazco encountered bureaucratic obstacles in pursuing Puerto Rican representation and, with an eye on major upcoming events such as the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics, chose to reclaim her eligibility to compete for Cuba.