Image not found or type unknown www.juventudrebelde.cu Cuba with Aspirations to win Medals in World Indoor Athletics Championships Yarisley Silva will be the "spearhead" of the Cuban team in the World Indoor Athletics Championships, contest that will be attended by more than 600 athletes from 144 countries in the English city of Birmingham, starting next Thursday Publicado: Monday 26 February 2018 | 02:24:08 pm. Publicado por: Juventud Rebelde HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 26 (acn) Yarisley Silva will be the "spearhead" of the Cuban team in the World Indoor Athletics Championships, contest that will be attended by more than 600 athletes from 144 countries in the English city of Birmingham, starting next Thursday. Despite not competing so far the season, Silva is one of the favorites to the crown in the women´s pole vault, event where there will be a new queen because it was known that American Jennifer Suhr is not registered. Suhr won two years ago as local in Portland with 4.90 meters, when Silva didn´t participate and could not defend the scepter she had won in Sopot 2014, Poland, with 4.70m. Greek Ekaterini Stefanidi, Olympic and world outdoor monarch, owns the season best with 4.83m and will try to change the color of her 2016 bronze medal. The other Cubans attending this major contest will be triple jumpers Cristian Napoles and Andy Diaz, long jumpers Maikel Masso and Juan Miguel Echevarria, short hurdler Roger Valentin Iribarne, and women Yanniuvis Lopez (shot put) and Yorgelis Rodriguez (heptathlon). The latter will compete in pentathlon, modality that replaces heptathlon indoor, and also in high jump, her best individual event. All but Silva will debut in these kind of tournaments, but some of them could make good impressions like Napoles, who ranked fourth in London 2017 WC with 17.16 meters and could become one of the surprises on the podium, although there are several stars among the 16 attendees, with highlight for American Will Claye, Istanbul 2012 world champion. In the men´s long jump, Echevarria owns the third season best (8.34 meters), but it will be a tough competition against men like South African Luvo Manyonga, Rio 2016 Olympic runner-up, and British veteran Greg Rutherford, London 2012 Olympic monarch. Two years ago, in Portland, Cuba only sent four athletes and none of them managed to reach the finals and its last medals in World Indoor Athletics Championships were reached in Sopot 2014 through Silva (gold) and Ernesto Reve and Pedro Pichardo, silver and bronze in that order in men´s triple jump. http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/index.php/en/sport/2018-02-26/cuba-with-aspirations-to-win-medals-in-world- indoor-athletics-championships Juventud Rebelde | Diario de la juventud cubana Copyright © 2017 Juventud Rebelde.