Large Cuban contingent to compete in athletics worlds

Eighteen Cuban track-and-field stars will compete in the Aug 10-18 World Athletics Championships in Russia's capital Moscow, hoping to place the nation among the top 10 medal-winning countries.

Cuba's national athletics commissioner, Jorge Luis Sanchez, said so far 18 top-ranked Cuban athletes, all A-listers in keeping with the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), have been included to form part of the Cuban delegation, but the number could reach 22, reports Xinhua.

Cuba's "goal is to place among the top 10 in the medals table", said Sanchez, declining to predict how many medals the squad can win.

The squad features five Cubans who are among the world's leading athletes in their respective disciplines, including pole vaulter Yarisley Silva (4.90 metres) and triple jumper Pedro Pablo Pichardo (17.69 m), both the first in their field.

Also competing is Yarelis Barrios, ranked third in the discus throw with a distance of 67.36m, Guillermo Martinez, ranked fifth in the javelin throw with a mark of 85.59m, and triple jumper Ernesto Reve (fifth, with a mark of 17.46m).