I know Yipsi Moreno´s tears. And all the people of Cuba know them too. It is not easy to forget that defeat, if you can call it that, in the Olympic Games in Athens ’04. There she cried.
We all expected the victory and with it, her wide grin. Yes, because behind the strong girl who didn’t let anyone to beat her, which showed herself serious, impetuous, courageous in the cage of throwing, hides also a woman that speaks softly, sweet tone, much laughter and mentions the name of her little one in every interview.
Yipsi was second in Greece, although she was due the gold. Fate didn’t want it, and at the end life didn’t award her the golden metal, only that she lacked. Four years later she got the same result, the silver medal in Beijing, China, but it was not the same. The timing was in Greek lands.
2004 was a momentous year in her sporting career. After being the boss in two world championships consecutively – Edmonton’01 and París’03-, she was envisioned as the leading candidate in the Olympics. Her name as top seed was written in uppercase when in April, here in Havana, the Camagüey athlete sent the hammer to the 75.18 meters, a personal best at the time.
Hammer throwing, young specialty in those days, was in crescendo, and the results of the athletes were increasing with the passage of time. Moreno, a pioneer, was the one who had endured the fast pace, and wandered as lonely and only survivor of that initial group, but along her, ready and quick as faithful squire, was a young woman that surprised to achieve bronze in the cradle of the Olympics: Yunaika Crawford.
I do not remember the day or the hour. It does not matter. In my memories remained the throws touching the mesh, constant desperation, the support from millions thousands of kilometers away, hands to the head.
At that moment the Cuban could not reach that far. She fell short with her 73 meters and 36 centimeters, and comfortably surpassed by her famous rival Olga Kuzenkova. The Russian, clear-eyed, slender, not at all bulky, cute generally, was throwing with more technique than strength. She threw 75.05, new Olympic record, and we stopped dreaming, and with us Yipsi.
Then she returned, as a loyal warrior, and cried in the Asian giant, four years later, knowing that the real opportunity, a golden opportunity had been at another time and another place.
Yipsi always cried, really, out of joy or sadness, more to the first, but cried. And on Monday, though she hid her face, a face that says goodbye, and this time it seems that definitely returned to mourn as a decade ago. I recognized her tears. And all the people of Cuba know them too
After her contribution to the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games, she moves away as the champion she always was, is and will be, after fifteen years in the elite, after three generations of hammer throwers, fighting with European, Asian, American and Eskimo, and never getting of the rain totally of those who dominate today, as she showed a few months ago in Moscow, near where the Kuzenkova was born.
She says goodbye, her eyes wet, above 70 meters, at age 34, with three Pan American, two Central American, three world titles, two Olympic runner-ups, a few extra pounds and the infinite love of her people, they’ll miss her medals, and her index finger in the air as a tornado, swirling, because Yipsi is not Yipsi is the “Wrath from Agramonte”.
