Triplist Yoandris Betanzos, happy and fulfilled as a coach in India

Twice runner-up outdoor world championship, three medals in indoor world events, triple Pan American medalist, a fourth Olympic place and two-time winner of the final of the Grand Prix circuit mark the sporting history of an excellent representative of the Cuban triple jump school: the man from Avila Yoandris Betanzos, who today gladly agreed to our exchange.

When I met him he was barely a teenager, thin, with big laughing and somewhat scared eyes. Today, at 41 years old, “the Beta” is in India transmitting his many knowledge.

How's it going? Tell me about your boys.

Here in India I have 13 students: four high jumpers, four long jumpers and five triple jumpers; Of the 13, there are three juniors and three girls as well. So far I have witnessed incredible progress; For example, Jeswin Aldrin set eight meters 42 centimeters national record, in long, while in the triple, Praveen Chithravel holds a 17, 17.

Everyone has improved but those are the ones who are at the forefront. I tell you that they did not exceed the barriers of 8 and 17 meters, respectively, when they started training with me.

It's going great for me! Thank God I am with my family, which is a fundamental link to be able to work with less worry, and I tell you less because in Cuba there is my mother, my father, my brother, but here we are fighting so that they are a little better.

I am with my six-year-old daughter Sandy Loreyn and my wife Yania Aguirre, who won bronze in the World Taekwondo Championships held in Puebla, Mexico 2013.

Do you feel as good as a coach as an athlete?

It's going very well for me, especially because I can work without pressure and do the training I want. Nobody questions me why I do this or why I do that, they let me work and in the end if it goes wrong of course they call you to tell you, but if everything goes well, there is no problem. You are responsible for what you do.

And as I told you, I have excellent students, they are all national medalists and in addition to Jeswin Aldrin and Praveen Chithravel I have the junior world triple champion Selva Prabhu, who in June begins to compete internationally. I hope he substantially improves his 16.15. They have quality, they needed a guiding hand.

So yes, I feel as good as when I was an athlete because, although I am not an Olympic medalist or world champion, I feel satisfied with my sporting career.

I still wonder and I always investigated the issue of why Yoandris Betanzos was not added to the roster of coaches of the national athletics team.

I asked myself that same thing until I got tired of being second to none. And now you don't know how happy I am.

When I was young, emigrating never occurred to me; Now that I have left my youth behind, I am looking for my future outside the country, where I was never given a chance. Since 2015 I was an assistant, I saw how other colleagues arrived and in one year they were promoted to the national team... and what about me? I got tired.

Yandro Quintana, the Olympic wrestling champion, who trains here in India, told me that they were looking for a coach in the jumping area and here I am, happy, fulfilled, willing to place my students on the podiums of the universe.

So I don't have to thank INDER or my country for this, although it is true that I am the result of Cuban Triple School and I have a lot of knowledge acquired there, but I have also improved myself and I am in constant contact with the most advanced techniques.

What are your goals, how does the current Central American record holder see the future?

My dream is to be internationally recognized as a coach; I want to be among the best in the world. I imagine that everyone wants the same thing but I put a lot of effort into what I do and with tremendous modesty I am very good at it.

Right now I have real possibilities of seeing my disciples on Olympic and world podiums; I have some magnificent athletes who follow me and trust me 120% and I'm sure I won't let them down.

In India do you have what it takes to do a good workout?

Here in India we have all the conditions to develop a jumper; it is perfect.

Son of a boxer and sprinter, the triple was your definitive destiny. Teachers, coaches that you remember most fondly?

I have many to thank; first to God, then to my parents; then to my first coach Rafael Álvarez alias Papalote and Osmany García who was the one who taught me everything I know. I do not forget Ricardo Ponce, who guided me from the age of 16; He has been a father and today we are united by a beautiful friendship.

Second, so many times, did you feel bad for not taking the gold or because you stayed on top?

Julita, you know how competitive I am!... Since I was a child that was my characteristic. When I arrived at the National ESPA there were Aliácer Urrutia, Michel Calvo, among others, and I cried because they beat me. I remember Richard Mestre, two years older than me, who according to Ponce I couldn't beat because I was the newcomer; Well, at a maximum of 14 meters 96 centimeters, which was my mark, I jumped 16.07. How about?

Imagine, as an adult, how I felt when at the end of the competition I came out in silver because someone came and beat me on his last jump: I felt so bad.

I was in several competitions where you had the gold in your pocket and it slipped away, like in Qatar. What is experienced?

At that World Cup in Doha I felt very bad because really with the record I did in the last five World Cups I was a gold medalist and you saw how things went. Incredible. With my 17.69 I seemed invincible and the Frenchman Teddy Tamgho appeared with a world record, 17.90.

In Doha I experienced a contradictory feeling because I felt disappointed for not winning the scepter but happy to be on the podium because although 13 years have passed, you must remember that the national commission did not want to take me even though I won it. I think they were even hurt by my medal, notice that you were the first to congratulate me and I am still waiting for the greeting from Esteban Brice, the then commissioner.

Current situation of Cuban athletics. So many stars, especially triple stars, that represent other flags.

The situation of Cuban athletics is critical despite the fact that the pandemic paralyzed the world and Cuba was the country that was detained the longest, but despite that I am going to tell you something: it hurts me that in the triple jump right now we only have two jumpers.

They were destroying it little by little. Lazarito Martínez and Christian Atanay Nápoles, who returned, remain from the last group of triple jumpers. They have all left and I am not talking to you about Pedro Pablo Pichardo, current Olympic champion for Portugal, but about others like Jordan and Andy Díaz, who compete for Spain and Italy and Alexis Copello who does so for Azerbaijan.

They strengthened the throwing area and the long jump to the detriment of the triple, why? Add to that the situation in the country, how difficult it is. The current talented generation looks to the future with optimism and part of it does so in other horizons; The thinking of young people is not what it used to be.

Best Cuban and foreign triple jumpers in history?

For me, the best triple jumpers of all time, without being guided by brands, are the American Christian Taylor, Pedro Pablo Pichardo and the British Jonathan Edwards; Then there are many very similar ones.

It is also contradictory to see three Cubans on a podium and none of them representing Cuba; more than contradictory, sad. It is a reality resulting from the chaotic situation that sport is experiencing, a faithful image of what is happening in the country.