This week, in Moscow, Cuban sprinter Yunier Perez established the world best time in the 60 meter dash indoors when the clocks stopped at 6.49 seconds, equaling the national record set in 2000 by Freddy Mayola.
Perez, who runs in the colors of the Spanish team Playas del Castellón, easily defeated the well-known Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis, to win the Russian Winter event, one of the stops on the indoor circuit prior to Poland’s IAAF World Championships to be held in the coming March.
The Cuban was invited late to the event, backed by his impressive results this season, where he registered four of the top ten times, including his 6.50 on January 30 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Yunier Pérez Romero was born on February 16, 1985 in San Jose de las Lajas, in the present province of Mayabeque. He was part of the Cuban 4×400 relay team that won the Central American Games in Cali, Colombia, in 2008, and ended eighth in the final of the Olympic Games in Beijing the same year.
His performances in outdoor races differ greatly from the indoor ones; he has very discrete personal bests in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash. But since 2012 he is showing strength in the 60 meters, when he raced his then best 6.55 , lowering it in 4/100 the following year, and two more this time .
At the same event , the Beijing Olympic champion and former world record holder in the 110 meters hurdles Dayron Robles finished second in the 60 meter hurdles with an acceptable time of 7.54 seconds, the fourth-best mark of the season . The gold medal went to Frenchman Garfield Darien, who needed to do the best race of his life, 7.53 seconds to defeat the Cuban star.