HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 30 (ACN) Cuban sprinter Omara Durand, winner of five Paralympic titles, will make her debut today at the Tokyo Games in the first round of the 400 m in athletics, category T12 (profound visual impairment).
Durand, along with her guide Yuniol Kindelán, will be in heat 2. Five years ago, in Rio de Janeiro 2016, they set a gold-winning world record in this specialty with a time of 51.77 seconds.
Now their rivals will be two athletes with quite discreet times, the Mexican Daniela Velasco (58.33) and the Moroccan Fatima El Idrissi (59.34).
With five gold medals to her credit—three of them in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m races in Rio—Omara is one of Cuba’s great hopes to add gold medals to the list. The Island’s first title was won by long jumper Leinier Savón, who finished second with a personal best of 7.16 m, also a record for the American continent. The gold medal went to the Iranian Amir Khosravani (7.21 m), whereas Said Najafzade (7.03 m), from Azerbaijan, won the bronze.