The athlete of Cuban origin Yulenmis Aguilar shattered the Spanish record for women's javelin throw on Tuesday, during the 2026 Mediterranean Games held in Taranto, Italy, by achieving a distance of 65.39 meters, which also earned her the silver medal in the competition.
The launch was documented in a video that circulated on social media and left the commentators speechless in real time, anticipating the milestone before the official distance was confirmed. "What a launch. It's over 64 meters for Aguilar. He could be very close to his personal record of 64.17. He knows it's a good throw. It's a personal record of 65," one of them is heard saying during the broadcast.
The mark of 65.39 meters exceeds the previous Spanish national record by 1.32 meters, which belonged to the athlete known as Chilla since 2010, with 64.07 meters, a figure that had stood for 16 years without any Spanish thrower being able to come close.
The launch also surpassed the personal best that Aguilar had achieved before becoming eligible to compete for Spain, which was 64.17 meters, set in 2022 when he was still competing under another flag. The improvement over his previous record was 1.22 meters, making the result a double milestone: a national record and personal best in the same performance.
Aguilar, born in Cuba, became eligible to represent the Spanish national team in 2024, making her the best javelin thrower in the history of Spanish athletics in terms of registered records in official competition.
The athlete is one of the many Cuban sportspeople who, after emigrating, gain eligibility to compete for other countries, especially Spain, in various athletics disciplines. In many cases, these athletes significantly raise the national records of their new teams, bringing with them technical training and a competitive background developed over years within the Cuban sports system.
The women's javelin throw is an event in which Spain has historically not had a significant presence at the international level, which makes Aguilar's achievement in Taranto even more important. With her silver medal at the Mediterranean Games, the athlete delivered one of the most memorable performances of the event for Spanish athletics.
The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport competition that brings together countries from the Mediterranean basin; the 2026 edition will be hosted in the Italian city of Taranto. The previous event took place in Oran, Algeria, in 2022.
With his performance at this event, Aguilar not only secured silver but also etched his name into the record books of Spanish athletics with a mark that, judging by the progress shown, could continue to improve in the coming years.
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