Yarisley Silva has a friendly nature and is open to good relationships, she seems to be a common girl who likes reading, watching TV and sharing with family and friends, but it is no a secret for no one that this attractive black woman takes upon herself the responsibility of being the leading figure of the Cuban athletics and one of the most distinguished pole vaulters today.
Although she says she does not like talking about sports off the track, the fact is that she had no objections to make an on-line exchange with On Cuba, as she is currently in Europe training torepresent us in the upcoming World Athletics Championship, to be held in Moscow from August 10 to 18.
What do you expect from the World Cup?
“I just want to be on the podium, with the help of the Lord. It will be a very tough competition. “
What does it mean to Yarisley being in the world athletics elite?
“It’s a dream come true, I’ve spent years of dedication and hard work, as Cuba did not have a specialist in this discipline, and therefore, it is also a proud”
The young girl, who has just turned 26, has to her credit the four best jumps of the season (4.90, 4.85 and 4.81 (twice) meters), and dominates an event that never had much development in the Caribbean nation.
These records ranked her among the top three pole vaulters of all time, only surpassed by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva (5.06) and American Jennifer Suhr (4.92).
Silva, a native of the western province of Pinar de Rio and runner-up in London 2012, became the first Cuban to achieve an Olympic medal in a specialty dominated by Europeans.
You were not still famous in Daegu-2011, so you gave the big surprise with a jump of 4.70 meters and ended fifth, but two years later you’re already a world figure in the pole vault. How do you look yourself?
“Daegu was a great test for me, I had to prove myself I could be among the top eight competitors, and the world should know that Cuba also had pole vaulters. My coach (Alejandro Navas) and I wereconvinced-due to my previous results, we could fight for a medal. I finished second in London Olympics, which has been the greatest of my career and now I want to fly higher. “
Do you see yourself jumping over the five meters?
“I do not think in the five meters, although it is a height I want to reach as any athlete of this specialty, I have still many things to polish up regarding my technique and I do not want to put more pressure on me.”
You have already been in the Olympic podium. Will you reach the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016?
I can not talk about Rio-2016, there are still three years to get there, I have my aspirations but a lot of things can happen in that period.
In addition to Isinbayeva and Suhr, do you have any other tough rivals?
“I take very serious a ll my rivals. Every day, more athletes join to the world elite with the same goal, winning. I think that in the near future the world record will rise beyond 5.06 meters achieved by Russia’s Isinbayeva in 2009. “
A few days ago, Silva set a new record for the Diamond League with a jump of 4.83 meters, during the eleventh stage held in London. She is one of the great figures who will liven up the upcominguniversal competition.
Through this record of 4.90 meters, the season’s best, Silva has left behind those early years where it was very difficult to compete for the lack of a proper pole.
This implement is normally constructed of glass and carbon fibers; its normal size goes from four to five meters and it is customized according to the size and weight of the athlete. It has a valueexceeding $ 1 500.
That is why, in the beginning, Silva had to work very hard to achieve good results in a relatively young event for women, because its World Cup debut was in Seville 1999 and a year later debuted in the Olympics (Sydney 2000).
Yarisley Silva’s results in 2013:
Indoor: Pardubice, Czech Republic, February 5 (4.71); Donetsk, Ukraine, February 9 ( 4.76); Birmingham, United Kingdom, February 16 (4.70); Stockholm, Sweden, February 21 (4.78); Des Moines, United States, April 24 (4.82).
Outdoor: Hengelo, The Netherlands, June 8 (4.90); Des Moines, USA, April 26 (4.85), London, UK, July 26 (4.83); Havana, Cuba, June 1 (4.81), Lucerne, Switzerland, July 17 (4.81), Birmingham, UK,June 30 (4.73), Ostrava, Czech Republic , June 27 (4.72); Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France, July 8 (4.70).
By: Duber L. Piñeiro
