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The Cuban Davisleidy Velazco wrote a historic page this Friday at the Diamond League in Doha, recording 15.13 meters on her fifth attempt and setting the best world mark of the 2026 season in the women's triple jump.
The result, achieved with a favorable wind of +1.3 m/s, also represents Velazco's personal best, as his previous top performance was 14.34 meters.
The competition was a true duel between Cuban athletes. Leyanis Pérez Hernández, the current outdoor world champion, had temporarily taken the lead with a jump of 14.97 meters, but Velazco responded on the fifth attempt with a performance that left the entire competition speechless.
Velazco opened the competition with a jump of 14.69 meters, climbed up the ranks with 14.97 on the fourth jump, and finished strong with 15.13, securing the victory. Pérez took second place with her 14.97, while the Senegalese Saly Sarr completed the podium with 14.86 meters.
The also Cuban Liadagmis Povea finished fourth with 14.58 meters, and the Olympic champion from Dominica, Thea Lafond, took fifth place with 14.52 meters.
The result has historical significance for Cuban athletics. Velazco becomes just the fourth woman born in Cuba to surpass the 15-meter mark in the triple jump, joining Yamilé Aldama (15.29 m in 2003), Yargelis Savigne (15.28 m in 2007), and Magdelín Martínez.
With this mark, the athlete rises to third place in the Cuban historical ranking in triple jump and ranks 17th of all time worldwide.
Velazco, born in 1999, emigrated from Cuba in October 2023 and settled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she began working with the Cuban coach Ubaldo Duany, an internationally recognized figure who was instrumental in the Olympic success of the Colombian Caterine Ibargüen.
A relevant aspect of his sports situation is that, even though he resides outside of Cuba, Velazco does not officially represent another country and his results continue to appear in international rankings under the identification of Cuba (CUB), as was the case in Doha.
Leyanis Pérez, her rival this Friday, arrives at the event with an impressive recent track record: she won gold at the 2025 World Outdoor Championships in Tokyo with a leap of 14.94 meters and successfully defended her indoor world title in 2026, establishing herself as the most dominant figure in the event in recent years.
Velazco's victory over Pérez, along with Povea's fourth place, confirms the extraordinary depth of Cuban women's triple jump in the 2026 season and positions Velazco as one of the top contenders for the upcoming international events of the year.
"Fourth Cuban with over 15 meters, following Yamilé Aldama, Yargelis Savigne, and Magdelín Martínez. Third on the Cuban all-time list and moves up to 17th place overall," summarized sports journalist Raúl Rodríguez in order to celebrate Velazco's performance in Doha.
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