Cuban pole vaulter seeks Olympic glory in 2016

Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva, who became world champion at the Beijing 2015 IAAF World Championships, is tuning up for 2016 and hoping to win a gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games in August.

Silva is seeking to go on better than in London 2012, where she won a silver medal after jumping 4.75 meters. Gold medalist Jennifer Suhr jumped the same height but won the competition due to clear records of previous attempts.

The Cuban athlete, now 28, has had a highly successful 2015, winning 10 medals (7 gold, two silver and one bronze) in 12 international competitions.

In the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, in July, Silva secured the title with a jump at 4.85 meters. This was the second Pan American title for Silva after she won in Guadalajara in 2011.

In a highly competitive final, Silva passed the 4.85 meter bar on her third attempt, seeing off Brazil's Fabiana Murer, who stopped at 4.80 meters.

One month later, the Cuban star took Beijing by storm during the IAAF World Championships by nailing a surprising jump of 4.90 meters.

Due to these results, Silva was chosen as the best Cuban athlete in 2015, beating out triple jumper Pedro Pablo Pichardo.

A few days ago, she was also chosen as the athlete of the year, alongside Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, by AIPS America, the regional delegation of the International Sports Press association (AIPS).

Given these recent performances, Silva has already set herself up among the main candidates for pole vaulting gold at Rio 2016. Endit