Cuban athletes Daily Cooper and Rose Mary Almanza delivered their best performances of the season this Sunday, but they did not make it to the final of the women's 800 meters in athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The young and charismatic Copper achieved the best time of her life, finishing the two laps around the track in 1:58.39 minutes and securing third place in her semifinal heat, while the experienced Almanza stopped the clocks at 1:58.73 in fifth place.
The fact that they did not qualify for the medal discussion does not diminish the result of the Antilleans, as they achieved their fastest races in the main competition, something that has been lacking in the athletics of the island.
In statements to the press published on the social media platform Facebook, Cooper, only 22 years old, expressed satisfaction with his Olympic debut: "I gave it my all on the track. I had strength, but two athletes blocked me, and that stopped me. I was left with the feeling that I could have done more."
A similar situation was experienced by sprinter Reynaldo Espinosa, who with a time of 10.21 was eliminated from the final of the 100 meters.
The queen event of athletics had its fastest race in history in France, with seven runners finishing below 9.90, and was dominated by the American Noah Lyles (9.79), ahead of the Jamaican Kishane Thompson (9.79) in a finish determined by photo finish.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Parada, the Central Caribbean titleholder, achieved a jump of 7.62 meters in his first attempt during the long jump qualification and did not advance to the competition for the crown.
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