The outstanding Cuban athlete Leyanis Pérez returned to the podium this Sunday at the stop in Silesia, Poland, of the Diamond League 2026, where she finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.91 meters, and remains tied for the lead in the circuit.
The competitor from Pinar del Río, the world champion in the event, was only surpassed by the Senegalese Sally Sarr, who delivered a historic performance by reaching 15.08 meters, a new national record for her country.
Sarr had been inching closer to that barrier for weeks: on July 10, the same day Leyanis set her personal best of 15.06 meters in Monaco, the Senegalese athlete had recorded 14.99, which was her personal best until this day.
The podium was completed by another Cuban, Davisleydi Velasco, who competes independently from the Cuban Athletics Federation and recorded 14.84 meters to secure third place.
With this result, Velasco joins the exclusive group of athletes who have surpassed 15 meters in the 2026 season, alongside the Dominican Olympic champion Thea Lafond, Leyanis herself, and now Sarr: four triple jumpers who have crossed that barrier in the same year, something unprecedented in the history of the event.
The result in Poland keeps the overall standings of the circuit completely tied: Leyanis Pérez and Sally Sarr share the top position in the Diamond League with 28 points each.
The pinareña has two opportunities left to tip the balance in her favor: the Zurich stop next Thursday, and the grand final in Brussels, scheduled for September 4 and 5.
Leyanis reaches this decisive moment with an impressive track record: indoor world champion in Nanjing 2025 and outdoor champion in Tokyo 2025, as well as indoor world champion in Italy 2026.
In the same triple jump event in Silesia, the long jumper Liadagmis Povea had a modest day: she jumped 14.18 meters and finished in sixth place.
Cuba also had a presence in the women's 400 meters through Roxana Gómez, who crossed the finish line in 50.88 seconds for ninth place, well below the 49.99 that she had recorded just two weeks earlier at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026.
That race was dominated from start to finish by the Dominican Marileidy Paulino, who triumphed decisively with a time of 48.87 seconds.
With Zurich and Brussels ahead, the clash between Leyanis Pérez and Sally Sarr promises to be one of the most exciting season finales in world athletics in 2026.
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