Yarisley Silva and her coach request withdrawal from Cuban athletics team

April 4, 2022

The renowned pole vaulter Yarisley Silva has requested withdrawal from the National Athletics Team along with her coach Alexander Navas. The sports-specialized website, Play-Off Magazine, broke the news a little over an hour ago.

Sports editor journalist at Radio Habana Cuba, Raúl Rodríguez, has confirmed it from his official Facebook profile. "They should never have said goodbye to the sport they contributed so much to for years. World champion and Olympic silver medalist in pole vault, Yarisley Silva Rodríguez, and her coach Alexandre Navas Páez are requesting withdrawal from the national athletics team, apparently dissatisfied with some recent situations," he posted.

"Regrettable, without a doubt. Although we would never have wanted her farewell to be this way, they have the eternal applause and recognition of Cubans and athletics enthusiasts," he added.

Why is Yarisley Silva requesting withdrawal? Although there are no statements from the athlete, world champion and Olympic medalist so far, all signs point to the most recent "obstacle" that prevented her from participating in the World Indoor Athletics Championships, Belgrade 2022.

Yipsi Moreno, National Athletics Commissioner, explained at that time that "Yarisley couldn't come directly from Spain, because the European Union established that with her visa she couldn't exceed three months of stay in the area, and she was already very close to that limit. She then had to leave for Cuba and return for the World Championships."

Last-minute flight changes between Angola and Cuba. Her poles, however, remained in Europe. "These were going to be sent directly from Spain, but the federation member in charge of transporting them tested positive for COVID and had to remain in Spain. The equipment couldn't be sent and although steps were taken to get them through other means, the problem couldn't be resolved," the board detailed. That's when Yarisley refused to compete with the poles provided by the World Championships organizers, considering "that it would affect her performance and the preparation she had carried out in recent months," Moreno pointed out.

Cuban pole vaulter Silva has been an Olympic silver medalist and has won gold and bronze in world championships. Her withdrawal joins the most recent ones from Cuban athletics: Here are just some names: Lester Lescay, Jordan Díaz, Cristian Nápoles.