Leinier Savón and Leonardo Díaz inaugurate Cuba's medal count at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

August 30, 2021

On a fruitful day, the Cuban delegation inaugurated its medal count at these sixteenth Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, in a complex scenario where our athletes had to give their maximum effort and shatter their own personal records to achieve it.

Long jumper Leinier Savón and discus thrower Leonardo Díaz secured podium finishes to propel Cuba to 55th place, with some athletes still to make their debuts who have real medal possibilities, among them the five-time champion in these competitions and speed queen in her category Omara Durand.

The Guantanamo native Savón stretched further than ever before in his life in the long jump competition of the Paralympic Games in the T12 category (severe visual impairment), to seize the silver medal against all odds and give Cuba its first medal at these Paralympic Games.

It is the first time in his career that he breaks the seven-meter barrier (7.16) and he did it in his last two attempts, displaying courage and concentration on the jump board.

This personal record, also a continental record for the Americas, could not have come at a better moment, after a disappointing 100-meter sprint a few days ago, which prevented him from competing in the final to everyone's surprise.

Eighth place in this discipline five years ago at the Rio de Janeiro Games and occupant of the same position at the Doha 2015 world championship, the Caribbean athlete who won two gold medals on the track at the Rio Games, greatly improved his medal record and drove away the demons that were attacking him with his leap to Paralympic glory.

Ángel Jiménez, the other Cuban competitor, barely managed to jump 6.25 meters and was relegated to ninth place.

The Athens 2004 champion and silver medalist at London 2012 in the T13 category, arrived in Tokyo with the second best historical mark among all competitors (7.14 m) and the fourth highest of the season (6.46m), but he could not stretch to his usual distances and fell short of a Paralympic medal.

Iranian Amir Khosravani took the gold medal with a jump of 7.21m which also represented his personal best, and Said Najafsade of Azerbaijan, the only one who had jumped over seven meters in the season, won the bronze with 7.03 m.

Discus thrower Leonardo Díaz in the F56 category (lack of mobility in the lower limbs and trunk) won the bronze medal with a throw of 43.36m (his best mark of the season) to add his second medal to the delegation.

At 46 years of age this warrior from Manzanillo achieves another feat and already has three medals at these Games (Gold at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio de Janeiro 2016).

Brazilian favorite Claudiney Batista Dos Santos, Rio de Janeiro champion and world title holder at Doha 2019, took gold with a throw of 45.59 m (Paralympic record) and Indian Yogesh Kathuniya, bronze medalist at Doha, won silver with a throw of 44.38 on his last attempt, which served to displace the Cuban from second place.

Credit should also be given to Camagüey native Guillermo Varona, who shattered his personal best in the javelin throw F46 category (athletes with motor differences and ambulatory) to secure fourth place in his first appearance at the Paralympic Games.

The Pan-American champion at Lima 2019 threw the implement to a distance of 63.30 meters (three meters further than his personal best) to also set an Americas record, in a very strong competition where the top three finishers broke the former world record for the category.

The gold medal went to Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyan Herath with a world record (67.79 m), the silver was taken by Indian Devendra (64.35m), and the bronze was won by also Indian Sundar Singh Gurjar with a throw of 64.01 m on his last attempt, which prevented the Cuban from winning a bronze medal.