The athlete, who competes for Italy, moves into fourth place on the all-time world list.
14ymedio, Havana, August 16, 2026 — “How far can Andy Díaz go?” The question posed by the specialized outlet Deporcuba arose after his 18.15-meter jump at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. Saturday’s mark is not only historic for Italy, but also an incentive for the Cuban-born athlete, who moves into fourth place on the all-time world list.
Andy defeated his compatriot, naturalized Portuguese athlete Pedro Pablo Pichardo (17.76 m) and Italian Andrea Dallavalle (17.37 m). Two athletes born in Cuba finished first and second. Nothing for the regime to celebrate, since the protagonists are athletes in exile who have been forced to leave the island in search of better opportunities.
Radio France Internationale highlighted the performance of the 30-year-old triple jumper, noting that “he thus earns his first major outdoor title, two years after winning bronze at the Paris Olympics.”
Díaz surpassed the 17.87-meter jump that had been his personal best with the Azzurri squad. With the new mark, he came within just three centimeters of the 18.18 meters with which his compatriot Jordan Díaz won the European championship title (2024) and has since added another appearance in international competitions.
Andy Díaz is now part of the elite group of triple jumpers who have surpassed 18 meters. Before him, Britain’s Jonathan Edwards (18.29 m in 1995) and American Christian Taylor (18.21 m in 2015), as well as Jordan, had achieved the feat.
“Díaz is shaking Edwards’ historic throne,” sports outlet As declared, describing the Havana-born athlete’s triple jump as “prodigious”
“The Havana native’s ‘monster mark’ came in the second round, immediately after an extremely long foul jump with which he came close to challenging Edwards’ historic record, the 18.29 meters he jumped 31 years ago at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg,” the Spanish newspaper Sport published on its website.
At this moment, three of the ten best triple-jump marks belong to Cubans competing under another flag. “Aside from being surreal, the statistic clearly demonstrates the serious problem Cuba has retaining its top talent. That these three triple jumpers are active and competing around the world, and none of the three competes for their country of origin, is incredible,” Sports Chago emphasized on Facebook.
The athlete, who despite being ignored by officials on the island and having “wanted to win an Olympic medal for Cuba,” continues to accumulate titles for Italy.
Díaz competed with discomfort at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The regime knew he was injured and nevertheless took him, counting on the fact that in some sports it is possible to compete while injured. “You grit your teeth, and nothing happens.” However, his case was complicated; he was determined not to compete. “I didn’t want to and I couldn’t,” he said. The reality is that the Cuban had already planned to defect during his stay in Europe.
After returning to Cuba, Andy Díaz took advantage of a layover in Spain and left the delegation. He says he decided to settle in Rome because Italy is the most Latin country in Europe.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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