Yorgelis Rodríguez: Searching for the Gold Medal in Tokyo

Yorgelis Rodríguez: Searching for the Gold Medal in Tokyo
Fecha de publicación: 
7 January 2019
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Always ready to speak, with a smile that certainly shows a positive attitude before sports and life, always ready to hear advice and seeking perfection in the seven disciplines that make up the heptathlon.  

That is Yorgelis Rodríguez (January 25th, 1995) who had a dreamt year, one out many of perseverance in the elite since she won the medal in Pan American Games of Toronto 2015 with personal record of 6 332 points.  

Her huge progression since year 2012 until today shows that her register in the seven events reached 5 994. Next, her ongoing rhythm started in 2013 - 6 186 points; 2014 - 6 231 points; 2015 - 6 332; in 2016 reached 6 481 in the main event of the year: the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro.  

This has been another constant issue in her sport career, because in the World Championship of London 2017 she reached her top of 6 594; and in this 2018, against the elite of this sport in Glottis, a competition classified as compulsory within the year calendar of combined sports she got 6 742. This amount of points won her the third position in the World ranking, behind the Belgian Nafissatou Thiam (6 816) and the British Katarina Johnson-Thompson (6 759).  

During a talk at the awarding gala of best sportsmen of the year in Cuba, distinction that put her among the best ten athletes, she said:  

“I am very happy especially for all the achievement this year. That is the outcome of the sacrifice and effort for an entire year next to my coach, and the physiotherapist. I believe that the main objectives were fulfilled, like the medal in the Central American and Caribbean Games of Barranquilla (6 436 points), and increase my registers in some competitions, as well as the global score in Gotzis.  

That will be the same frame of mind I’ll take the training starting January, thinking of the Pan-American Games of Lima and the World Championship, besides keep growing to face Tokyo 2020. It’s an honor to be for the first time among the ten best Cuban sportsmen and I hope this is only the beginning in the path of recognitions."

You said that there are where you can still improve or polish a bit more. As for the training, which are those events and what specific work do they do?

"Right now I am focused in the physical side, it’s essential and one of the elements that helps me on the second part of the competition to polish my techniques. It’s still early, but reaching the individual competitions with the best possible physical shape is very positive."

What are the events in which you feel more confident?

"Those will be jumping events. The long and high jump, although the long jump is a test where I can still improve more. On top of those the 800 meters flat. One of the things that makes me improve toward the end, to bring forth extra strength in this test despite the exhaustion, it’s when I am under pressure or fighting for a place in the podium or a record and that motivates me to give my everything."


 

Do you plan to go beyond the 6 800 points in 2019?

“It’s one of my first objectives. To improve the 6 742 points and go beyond the 6 800. It’s a mark that practically puts to discuss medals in any competition at the highest level."

Without such effort, how do you visualize Lima?

I am focused and motivated. The back-to-back medals I won in Toronto are reason enough. I don't think of the problems, despite I’ll be facing high-level competitors, perhaps not world elite, but in that case I will compete against my registers, making me my own rival, pushing myself to the limits."

Yorgelis has the same spirit that her coach Gabino Arzola taught her equal Leonel Suárez: working capacity, seriousness and being a professional during trainings, strong mind and permanently seeking growth regarding the registers and frame of mind, in the end the results always support every minute

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