Three Medals for Cuba at the Start of the Tunisia Para Athletics Grand Prix

World record holder in the T46 long jump category, Robiel Yankiel Sol, delivered Cuba’s first gold medal on Monday, leading a three-medal haul for the nation at the opening of the 2025 Tunis Para Athletics Grand Prix.

The two-time Paralympic champion dominated the event with a leap of 7.61 meters, nearly a full meter ahead of Russian neutral athlete Dzmitry Bartashevich (6.63m) and China’s Yize Zeng (5.82m), both of whom set records for their respective regions.

“Despite the win, we’re not leaving with a sweet taste,” coach Luis Bueno told JIT moments after his athlete completed the event, which included two fouls and other valid jumps of 6.23, 5.32, and 5.22 meters.

“We know we’re ready for bigger things. He jumped 7.86 meters at the Cuba Cup just a week ago, and we expected him to be in that range today,” the coach explained, noting that issues with the run-up and especially its coordination with the takeoff caused some frustration.

Robiel holds the world record at 7.84 meters, but his recent 7.86-meter performance at the Cuba Cup cannot be recognized as a new mark because it was achieved in a competition with able-bodied athletes. Nevertheless, Coach Bueno remains confident in Robiel’s potential, particularly with the World Championships scheduled for late September in New Delhi.

Also clinching gold was Yamel Luis Vives, who set a new Americas record in the T44 category 100-meter dash. He clocked 11.10 seconds, ahead of Bartashevich (11.70) and China’s Ruihua Huang (11.90), who took silver and bronze respectively.

A silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Yamel had previously recorded 11.36 seconds at the recent Grand Prix in Cali, Colombia. His performance in Tunis earned praise from coach Miriam Ferrer. He is set to return to the track on Tuesday for the 200 meters.

Rounding out Cuba’s performances, the less experienced York Lázaro Suárez posted a personal best of 10.94 seconds in the T13 category 100 meters, earning him the bronze medal.

“I didn’t think he would hit that time now, especially since he had been injured. We primarily came here to complete his medical classification,” clarified coach Ferrer, referring to the athlete’s recent inclusion in the national team.

The event was won by Japan’s Shuta Kawakami with a time of 10.89 seconds, followed by his compatriot Ryota Fukunaga (10.93) in second place.

Cuban participation continues on Tuesday with Yamel Luis Vives in the 200 meters, Ever Revé Castro in the F41 javelin, and Felipa Hechavarría in the T46 long jump.