The athlete from Camagüey has been on the rise since leaving the Island and settling in Puerto Rico, the country she hopes to represent.
14ymedio, Havana, June 1, 2026 — Cuban athlete Davisleydi Velazco shattered the triple jump record at the International Meeting of Forbach, France, on Sunday, breaking a mark that had stood for 17 years. With only two attempts, one of them measuring 14.83 meters, the athlete, who left Cuba in 2023 in search of better opportunities, surpassed by half a meter the previous record of 14.33 meters set by France’s Tereza Nzola Mesa in the 2009 edition of the event.
The 26-year-old triple jumper, who was permanently removed from Cuba’s list of eligible athletes last September, also recorded a jump of 14.77 meters, which would likewise have erased the competition record from the books. Both marks were far superior to those achieved by the second- and third-place finishers. Silver went to France’s Ilionis Guillaume with a jump of 14.09 meters, while Germany’s Kira Wittmann completed the podium with 13.89 meters.
With her performance this weekend, Velazco, who competes as an independent athlete, provided further evidence of her excellent form just days after jumping 14.85 meters, her personal best and the third-best mark in the world this season, which earned her the gold medal at the Coqui International Cup held at Paseo de los Artistas in Caguas, Puerto Rico, on May 17.
“I confirmed that dreams can be achieved when you work with faith, discipline, and heart. We keep dreaming, we keep fighting, because this is only the beginning”
The competition was not easy, as she was engaged in a fierce battle with Dominica’s Thea Lafond, the reigning Olympic champion in the event, whom she defeated by just one centimeter. “I confirmed that dreams can be achieved when you work with faith, discipline, and heart. We keep dreaming, we keep fighting, because this is only the beginning,” she said after winning the competition.
According to the specialized website Swing Completo, the athlete is likely to surpass the 15-meter mark, given the steady improvement she has shown since leaving Cuba and settling in Puerto Rico, the country she hopes to represent.
In 2025, she enjoyed the best season of her career. In March of last year, she recorded a jump of 14.36 meters at the Spring Break Classic in Carolina, Puerto Rico. That was followed by marks of 14.32 in Tucson, 14.26 in Kingston, 14.61 in Memphis, and 14.38 meters in Florence.
“Her 14.54-meter jump in Gothenburg last July showed she was ready to reach the biggest stages, and in Brussels, on August 22, she achieved one of her best results and a new personal best of 14.72,” the specialized outlet Deporcuba wrote late last year while following the athlete’s progress.
Although she won a bronze medal for Cuba at the 2018 World U20 Athletics Championships in Tampere, Finland, she was later sidelined in several national selection processes. In an interview published last December by the Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero, the athlete said that her career in Cuba had become “stagnant.” With no prospects for growth and faced with “the economic situation,” she felt compelled to seek new opportunities and leave the Island.
The athlete said that in Cuba her career had become “stagnant,” with no prospects or growth
Her journey took her through four countries, including several months spent between Mexico and the United States, before a turning point arrived when she was contacted by veteran Cuban coach Ubaldo Duany. Duany helped shape the careers of Colombian triple jumper Caterine Ibargüen, who won Olympic gold at Rio 2016, and Pedro Pichardo, the Cuban-born jumper who has won Olympic gold and silver for Portugal at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
The coach invited Velazco to train for a couple of months at his club in Puerto Rico. She accepted and ultimately decided to stay, a decision that marked a major turning point in her career.
The exodus of athletes due to a lack of opportunities has become a common feature of Cuban athletics. In 2021, triple jumper Cristian Nápoles and sprinter Reynier Mena requested their release from the Cuban Athletics Federation. Time has vindicated several of them. In June of last year, Mena won the 200-meter race at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, with a time of 20.05 seconds. Days earlier, he had also won meets in Savona, Italy (20.15 seconds), and Norway (20.20 seconds).
As for the triple jumpers who have left Cuba, the event that most clearly highlighted Cuba’s shortcomings and the development of its expatriate athletes was the Paris 2024 Olympics. At those Games, emigrant jumpers swept the podium. Jordan Díaz, competing for Spain, won gold with a jump of 17.86 meters. Silver and bronze went to Pedro Pablo Pichardo of Portugal (17.84 meters) and Andy Díaz of Italy (17.64 meters), respectively.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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