A new jewel dazzles in world athletics. Leyanis Pérez, the young 22-year-old Cuban athlete, is one of the revelations of her country’s triple jump in recent years. Originally from El Rancho, one of the most humble neighborhoods in Pinar del Río, Leyanis took her first steps in athletics at the age of 12 and little by little, her sports career took a very promising course.

His confidence, enthusiasm and talent are the qualities that place Leyanis among the best prospects in the world in his specialty. He attended the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but could not compete due to discomfort. At the 2023 Pan American Games he won gold with a mark of 14.75 meters. In 2024, his career has taken an important leap, obtaining gold at the International Indoor Athletics Meeting, at the Athletic Meeting and at the Eugene and Stockholm stops of the Diamond League.

The Caribbean athlete only thinks about Paris 2024: “I am going to continue working on some technical errors that we have detected. There are a few months left until Paris and getting there in optimal shape is the goal we have set for ourselves.” The injury of the current Olympic triple jump champion, Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, leaves open the possibility for any athlete in the discipline to conquer glory in Paris 2024.

Leyanis has a personal best of 14.98 meters and is one of the strong candidates for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The athletes who come closest are the Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts with 14.40 meters and the current world champion indoors, the Dominican Thea Lafond with a mark of 14.26 meters.