Yarisley reached the sky: 4.75 meters!

August 9, 2019

The greatest Cuban pole vaulter of all time smiled again after five in the afternoon on this August 8th. First came the concentration, then the flight up to 4.75 meters, the acrobatics over the bar and when she landed on the mat no one in the National Sports Village stadium (VIDENA) was happier than her. It was her third time as Pan American Games champion. Her name? Yarisley Silva.

Marked by cold and humid weather, the athlete from Pinar del Río gave us the greatest emotions in the final moments of the competition, because inexplicably she cleared 4.35 meters on her third attempt (a mark well below her quality) and everything seemed to foreshadow an early exit from the mat. Except that same thought could have been there in 2011, 2012, 2015, when she also came close to being eliminated in major competitions and came back. She set her nerves aside and chose the ideal pole for all or nothing.

The suspense scene lasted barely more than a minute, the time it took her to go out, fly and land. It meant the best she has done in the current season, which is what every athlete most desires: to achieve their best mark in the major competition. At first she couldn't believe it, but then she took in the success, and of course, the press onslaught didn't take long.

"Only with God's help have I been able to get this far. It has been a difficult year, the competition was tough because I wasn't able to warm up the way I normally do, that explains why I started at lower heights, which is not typical for me," said the also outdoor and indoor world champion.

"I didn't want to win with so much tension, but sometimes things don't go the way you want and others fail. I had confidence that I wouldn't leave here without medals. These are definitely the most tense and difficult Games, but I've already contributed to the medal count. I'm 32 years old and next will be the world championship and the Olympic Games, in Tokyo, where I hope to win a medal.

"Thanks to my people, to my coach Navas, to the medical team, physiotherapists, to all the people who have supported me and take at least a few minutes to leave me messages of encouragement on the Internet. I was upset because I don't like making mistakes, but I told myself to back up a bit, raise the grip and move the poles forward and you have to make it happen anyway."

Once again, Yarita, as her teammates call her, elevated Cuban athletics and our chests swell with the cry of an expletive that was repeated from Pinar del Río to Guantánamo on the afternoon of August 9th. Reaching the heights for her was no small thing, it was a matter of honor and gallantry. She did it as she always does. And she won as what she is: a star.