Fencer Annis Yanet Hechavarría: It is sad that they force you to abandon everything to try to achieve a better life

The foilist Annis Yanet Hechavarría is one of the hundreds of Cuban athletes who have decided to leave the island. Currently, the former member of the national team is in the United States.

I arrived on November 1, 2021, across the border. I was on a mission in Mexico for four years and in 2019 my mother got sick, she got sick and I had to go to her side.

My mother has suffered from HIV since 2000 and for the family it is constant agony when she gets sick because it could cost her her life. I am her only daughter and of course I brought her medicines and supplements that are not available in Cuba due to the shortages that we all know.

She got better and I resumed my life in Mexico but with my mind on the United States. It was impossible to live in Cuba anymore. However, President Donald Trump had closed the border and I could not surrender. At the same time, the pandemic arrived and my contract period ended; but he did not want to return to Cuba. As soon as I could, I crossed, I decided to live in this country of opportunities, always aware of my mother whom I continue to care for from here.

A very difficult situation for you.

Well yes, I miss my mom, my family in general; my neighborhood, my people, my friends, the culture, the food... It's sad that they force you to abandon everything to try to achieve a better life. Without riches or excesses; just enough to live and not survive as it is there.

How many years in the national team?

I spent eleven years in the national foil team, from 2000 to 2011. I took part in the Villa de La Habana World Cups starting in 2004, “Nancy Uranga” Tournaments, Grand Prix competitions, Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena of the Indies 2006 (runner-up by team), and Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro 2007, collective bronze.

Floretist in the world that you admire most?

Valentina Vezzali who became the first woman to win six Olympic, 16 world and 13 European gold medals between 1996 and 2008.

Current health of Cuban sport, especially fencing that has given us world champions, World Cup champions and Olympic medalists?

What to tell you? The health of our fencing at this moment is reduced to some results in the Central and Pan American areas, where some medals are obtained with a lot of sacrifice in some modalities. Remember when this sport reigned in all modalities at those levels and even worldwide.

However, the country's shortcomings, the lack of competitions, the increasingly diminished sports development at the base put an end to better results and believe me Julita, any result obtained is a gold medal.

How about Cerro Pelado?

I can tell you that in Cerro Pelado the conditions were precarious; We slept up to 12 and sometimes 15 in a room for six athletes, the food unable to meet training needs. Added to this is the lack of dietary supplements, which are essential for athletes.

Why talk about weapons? Foils and all weapons in general were scarce, they often arrived two months before the competitions. That is, we had to train for 10 months of physical preparation and in the other two make a quick model for competition.

The competition budget was enough for one or two athletes and the coach, who in some cases did not go. At the national level, first-class events had to be canceled due to lack of weapons.

I know it and it's not just fencing that happens. Many times they go to the competition without any training. Right now the suspension of the national under 23 baseball series was reported due to lack of budget and also of players, who leave en masse looking for new horizons.

Since you mention the lack of blanking, which in our case was none, can I tell you an anecdote? The 2008 Villa de la Habana was taking place at the Habana Libre Hotel and we went to the round of 8 with the Italian team, which was the strongest at that time.

We encouraged each other, we supported each other to the maximum, as if it were the final. It was the classic fight between lion and monkey and the tied monkey; However, until touch 35 we were stuck. In the end we couldn't win. In high-performance sports, and even more so in one that is as technical and requires skills as fencing, there are few coincidences.

We had not competed internationally; only the limits in the National Championship and some internal controls in Cerro Pelado; that is, us against us. Therefore, we are left with the feeling that we could have won.

We were a good team, with internationally recognized coaches such as Nelson Guevara, David Durán, Leonel Bacallao and Efigenio Faviel.

Teammates from those times?

I had the opportunity to share the plates with Migsey Dussú, Adriagne Ribot, Odalys Gorguet, and Adlin Benítez, among others. We were family.

What happened at the 2007 Rio Pan American Games?

Phew! A very bad experience. It turns out that two boxing colleagues, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara decided to leave the delegation and who tells you? that in retaliation they took our passports and left us locked in our rooms.

We only went out to eat with the coach, who like a goalkeeper took us back again. We were also subjected to interrogations to see if anyone knew about these desertions and the closest companions of the deserters were returned to Cuba without competing... Tell me Julita! Bitter experience.

How does Annis Yanet Hechavarría see the future?

Look, for now I have Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook as janetfit 5 and there I upload fitness exercises and I already have many followers; I also have an online gym so you can connect from anywhere and do exercises that are good for your health.

I work, because you have to work here, in Fairfax, Virginia. I dedicate myself to children from six and seven years old to adolescents aged 15-16. I also serve adults and even veterans. I await my residency. I am calm.

I aspire to achieve everything that I did not previously achieve in Cuba despite being a high-performance athlete and being on the women's foil team for a decade.