By SwingComplete/ contacts@swingcompleto.com
On June 26, the arrival in the United States of the Olympic champion Osleidys Menéndez was announced. The Cuban javelin thrower crossed borders through Jamaica to Mexico, as part of the mass exodus of Cubans that includes athletes of all specialties and levels, both active and retired.
The owner of the world record until 2008 offered her first statements following arriving in the city of Miami. The award-winning athlete from Matanzas gave the following details regarding her decision, her journey and her plans in a short interview conducted by cybercuba this June 28.
-Decision
“I decided to leave because I am a young woman with dreams and desires and I decided to look for other horizons to fight for my future and that of my family. We have been through a lot of work in this life.
The abandonment of the figures is so common that nobody notices it. You give your whole life, you put the name of your sport and your country at the top and when you retire, you keep the glory in your house. They gave me no value; I felt discriminated once morest, they underestimated my humility, my way of being.”
-Travel to the United States
“I went through Santiago de Cuba towards Jamaica and from there I entered Nicaragua, the starting point of an infernal journey that I will never forget.
I risked my life, I endured verbal abuse going through adverse weather conditions, both intense heat and great cold; without taking a bath It was quite an enormous effort. I was finally able to cross the Rio Grande through Piedras Negras. When I set foot on North American soil I knew that my dream was starting to walk. I am a warrior, I always have been, and I knew it would come. Here in Miami a family from my Martí municipality received me.”
-Planes
“I don’t have anything in hand yet but I won’t stop until I achieve my dream of becoming a coach, being able to work in good conditions and achieve results like the ones I had in my specialty with students who want to carve out a career in athletics.
Arriving in the United States is like throwing 75 meters, a goal that I set for myself and might not achieve. But I have 75 meters of my will, of my joy, of my decision to win, to help my family and to be a person who can materialize their dreams.”
