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The Cuban triple jumper Jordan Díaz has decided to take a turn in his athletic career by ending his professional relationship with the renowned coach Iván Pedroso, changing his coaching team, and moving to the United States to continue his training.
According to reports from the newspaper Marca, Díaz will move to Arkansas this spring, where he will begin training with Travis Geopfert, coach of Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis and also coach of the Jamaican nationalized Turkish athlete Jaydon Hibbert.
Geopfert also leads the athletics program at the University of Arkansas, an institution that has produced prominent athletes such as Tyson Gay, Mike Conley, and Wallace Spearmon.
Despite the change in environment, the athlete will continue to compete for Spain, the country he has represented since leaving Cuba.
A change after months of low activity
Díaz seeks to relaunch his career after a long period of limited competitive activity. The reigning Olympic champion in the triple jump has barely competed in the last 18 months, during which he has only executed two official jumps.
One of them was last August, when he won the Spanish Championship in Tarragona with a jump of 17.16 meters. The other occurred during the triple jump qualifying round at the World Championships in Tokyo, where he suffered a quadriceps injury that has kept him off the track.
Just three weeks ago, the athlete was also forced to withdraw before competing in the meeting in Lievin after experiencing discomfort again during warm-up.
End of a phase with Pedroso
The change also marks the end of his time in the training group in Guadalajara, which welcomed him after he left the Cuban team in 2021 during a visit to Spain.
Under the direction of Iván Pedroso, regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, Díaz achieved some of the greatest milestones of his career: the European title, a jump of 18.18 meters —the third best mark in history— and the Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024.
The decision also means leaving behind the accompanying structure, including his representative Alberto Suárez, to begin a new chapter in the United States.
With this move, the triple jumper seeks to regain physical stability and relaunch his competitive performance following a period characterized by injuries and limited participation in international events.
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