The Cuban-born athlete Yulenmis Aguilar shattered the women's javelin throw record in Spain 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 captured 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. It could be very close to his personal record of 64.17. He knows it's a good launch. It's a personal record of 65," one of them can be heard saying during the broadcast.
The mark of 65.39 meters surpasses 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 while he was still competing under another flag. The improvement over his previous best was 1.22 meters, making this result a double milestone: a national record and a personal best in the same performance.
Aguilar, born in Cuba, became eligible to represent the Spanish national team in 2024, thus becoming the best javelin thrower in the history of Spanish athletics in terms of registered performance in official competitions.
His performance in Taranto is part of a broader phenomenon: that of Cuban athletes who, after emigrating, gain eligibility to compete for other countries, especially Spain, in various athletic disciplines. In many cases, these athletes significantly enhance the national records of their new teams, bringing with them technical training and competitive experience developed over years in 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, making Aguilar's result in Taranto even more noteworthy. 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 held in the Italian city of Taranto. The previous edition took place in Oran, Algeria, in 2022. With her performance at this event, Aguilar not only won silver but also etched her name into the record books of Spanish athletics with a mark that, judging by the progress displayed, could continue to improve in the coming years.
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