Hitchman Powell

HIGH jumper Víctor Moya is training in Havana’s Pan American Stadium with other athletes on Cuba’s national team, with his sights set on the Indoor World Championship, to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, March 9-11.

After his recovery from an injury suffered prior to the Beijing Olympics, which had dashed his hopes, he made his best jump - 2.28 meters - mid-2011 during the 4th ALBA Games. The coming tournament in Turkey requires hitting the 2.31 mark which coach Bárbaro Díaz believes Moya will reach before the end of the preparatory period. A specially designed training plan for the Santiago de Cuba athlete is in place, looking to meet that goal.

Moya needs to jump decisively to measure up against rivals and recuperate his self-confidence, since 2011 wasn’t a good year for him, not classifying for the Daegu World Championship and wining the bronze in Guadalajara with a modest 2.26m jump, well below expectations.

At 28 years of age and a fully mature athlete, he insists that, a month into the training session, he feels fine. "I am in perfect condition, my coach and I are hoping to eliminate technical errors and address existing inadequacies, since there are only two preparatory tournaments for high jumpers before London: the event in Turkey and the Diamond League."

This season, before these important events, Moya hopes to match his career record of 2.35 meters, which led to his first place ranking in the Americas in 2008. "I’m convinced that to even consider an Olympic medal, I have to beak that barrier, since that was the best jump in the last World competition in Daegu. I want to achieve it, to return to the top in high jumping and share the joy with the country’s fans, who are confident I can do it."