• Chronicle The nationalized Jordan Díaz, the world's greatest triple jump promise, flies with the Spanish record

  • Interviews Ana Peleteiro: "The fact that the two medalists were black will bother a lot of people"

Before June 28, 2021,

Jordan Díaz

(Havana, Cuba, 2001) was for the Cuban press "an indefinable talent", "the monarch of a dynasty", "a successful teenager", but since June 28 of 2021 is another forced absence, the unmentionable umpteenth, one more portent to never talk about.

On June 28, 2021, taking advantage of a stopover in Madrid for his team heading to Alicante, Díaz crossed the airport gate and planted in Zaragoza, where his uncle resides.

He had been world champion under-18 and under-20 and in the nearby Tokyo Games he was competing for a medal, but he left everything to start a new life.

He was tired of the pressure, the treatment, the narrowness.

Today, already nationalized Spanish, he has the national triple jump record.

Today, already nationalized Spanish, he trains with

Iván Pedroso

in Guadalajara with

Yulimar Rojas

and

Ana Peleteiro

-now pregnant-, a crucial person in his desertion.

Peleteiro introduced Pedroso himself to his agent,

Alberto Suárez

, and even spoke about you to the president of the Higher Sports Council,

José Manuel Franco

.

How was he? I had his contact from various concentrations that he had done with the Cuban team in Guadalajara and I wrote to him from Zaragoza.

He told me that he would help me and he did.

He helped me a lot.

I almost owe my life to Ana.

Perhaps many people know her through social networks, because she is so media, but she is a super person.

I'd spend an hour talking about her and everything would be fine.

With the pregnancy she is not training as much, she is living more in France, but I am very glad that she is happy. Why did you decide to leave Cuba? I have liked Spain for a long time, the first time I came it already seemed incredible to me.

It is a beautiful country, with the same language and a very similar culture.

Things were difficult in Cuba, it is a complicated country, they rushed me a lot, and here I have found peace of mind.

In Guadalajara I am very happy.

I miss my family

but I talk to them on the phone every day and they are very happy with what I am getting.

That's very important to me."Guadalajara has nothing, only older people," said her training partner,

Fatima Diame

, on Movistar's La Resistencia program. [Laughs] It's a good place, I like it.

I really like the quiet.

I didn't come to Spain to do tourism, I came to live and train and here I can concentrate on that. How much have your training sessions changed since you've been under the command of Iván Pedroso? They are two very different methodologies.

In Cuba he trained above all power and technique;

here with Iván I have improved my speed a lot.

But above all what has changed is that Iván does not rush me.

As he always tells me, my goal should be to train well, improve what I have to improve and the marks will come.

In fact, right now, I don't have any brand in mind or any title. Until next year he can't compete with Spain. For me this season is zero, I will focus on competing here,

in the Club League [tomorrow has the final] or the Spanish Championship, and in continuing the Diamond League competitions [debut on Sunday 18].

If everything goes well, I will debut with Spain in the next indoor European Championship, in March of next year.

It excites me. In the Club League it competes with Barcelona, ​​but they say that it's very Real Madrid. [Laughs] I don't get involved in that, I don't get involved.

The truth is that I am very happy with my signing for Barça, it was very fast, they were very kind.

I have a lot of affection for the person in charge,

The truth is that I am very happy with my signing for Barça, it was very fast, they were very kind.

I have a lot of affection for the person in charge,

The truth is that I am very happy with my signing for Barça, it was very fast, they were very kind.

I have a lot of affection for the person in charge,

Vincent Egido

.Speaking of other sports... Did you always prefer athletics? It was my mother.

My father played basketball occasionally and I liked soccer and baseball, but as a kid he didn't do anything for me.

He didn't do anything.

A teacher at school suggested we do athletics, my friends signed up and so did I, but when they left a month later, my mother wouldn't let me go.

I had to stay in forced athletics until I started to like it.

Then, when I was in sixth grade [12 or 13 years old], I entered the School for Sports Initiation and I no longer had a normal childhood.

I took it very seriously, I was only thinking about training. What is done in that Sports Initiation School that is not done in a Spanish CAR so that so many Cuban jumpers come out?

If you ask that question there,

no one could tell you the answer.

Nobody knows the secret.

We don't have the resources of the first world, but we get a lot of jumpers.

I guess it's the tradition, the methodology, the experience.

The coaches there are very knowledgeable about jumps. When the hurdler

Orlando Ortega

, Olympic runner-up, came from Cuba, he met many Spanish athletes on the hills.

Have you felt something similar?He thought there would be some misgivings about my arrival, it was understandable: each person has the opinion of him and would have accepted it.

But I talk to many triple jumpers and the communication is very good, we get along really well. His Spanish record is 17.30 meters.

Those who have seen him train say that he can close the record to 18 meters. I hope so.

But, as he said before, my fundamental objective is to train.

The results will come out.

I have come to Spain to do the right things, not to rush, to meet my coach and my agent, to be able to live well.

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