Leyanis Pérez Finishes Second in Brussels Diamond League Final, Ending Two-Year Reign

September 5, 2026

Cuban triple jumper Leyanis Pérez finished second at the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 5, 2026, with a jump of 14.82 meters, a result that ended her two-year reign as champion of the circuit. Gold went to Senegal's Saly Sarr, who leaped 14.96 meters to give her country its first-ever Diamond League title. Fellow Cuban Davisleydi Velazco rounded out the podium with 14.73 meters.

"I felt good during the competition," Pérez said afterward, though she acknowledged that "conditions in Brussels were difficult" and that her mark fell short of what was needed to retain the title.

Pérez, a native of Pinar del Río and the reigning world outdoor and indoor champion, had won the Diamond League title in each of the previous two seasons. Just in July 2026 she had officially cleared 15 meters for the first time, jumping 15.06 meters in Monaco, and in August she won gold at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.

Despite failing to defend her Diamond League crown, Pérez closes out a 2026 season that reaffirmed her status as one of the greatest triple jumpers in history, with Cuba placing two athletes among the top three finishers in the Brussels final.