14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2015 — Yarisley Silva did not need to appeal to a metaphor to exalt the name of Cuba. She did it pole in hand with two magisterial vaults this year. That performance earned her the title of Athlete of the Year from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), a title also recognized by the Cuban Athletic Federation and Prensa Latina.
This young woman from Pinar del Rio, born in 1987, broke into the headlines of the sports pages in 2011, and since then has not stopped breaking her own records. In 2015 she was proclaimed world champion in her discipline at the spectacular Bird’s Nest in Beijing, with a vault in which she flew 4.9 meters. On 3 August she outdid herself in Beckum, Germany with an impressive 4.91 meters, her personal best of the year and a national record.
Only 5’3” tall, “Yarita” dreams of exceeding five meters. Towards this goal, she works with her trainer Alexander Navas and hopes to medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
