CAMAGÜEY.- Not much can be given for sure about the Tokyo Olympics after they were postponed due to COVID-19. But yes, there will be two Camagüey´s athletes at the starting line of the athletic track of the Olympic Stadium. Rose Mary Almanza (A) already has a ticket to the Japanese capital by lowering the required mark for the 800 meters (m) of 1.59.00 minutes, while Roberto Skyers (S), among the short relievers, must sign up for the trip when the qualifying calendar restarts.

Both began the 2020 season when the pandemic closed the stadiums. This week they returned to the oval at the "Rafael Fortún" in our city, and shared feelings with Adelante.

"The most important thing has been to stay healthy, even though I was so desperate in confinement," sighed Rose Mary after a jog on the polytan surface. "La Bala de Minas" was full of energy: "I have some little pounds to burn."

The main representatives of the Camagüey´s track in the last decade perform simple sections with the supervision of Leslie Llorente, physical trainer for the national team, who also spends his days in his homeland. The dialogue started on the arrival of the disease in the country.

A: “I started running in March and achieved three good 800m races before social isolation, one of 1.58.92 minutes. Before, I trained in Guatemala and I was ready for international competitions. ”

S: “I only ran until that moment the 100 and the relay, with very good times. I did 10.18 seconds, not bad for the beginning of the year. It was time to increase the loads and in the relay we were at number 16 in the world ranking. I saw myself with possibilities of including myself in the individual program of 100 and 200 ”.

Among those who have suffered the "quarantine" the most are those addicted to physical activity. The two of them narrowed their homes and only relieved the jogs before dawn. But they recognize the benefit of the circumstance.

S: “I took the opportunity to meditate a lot. I realized that I had been in a bubble where only athletics existed for five or six years, and its dynamics did not allow me to analyze things calmly. Together with my loved ones I have set new personal and sports goals. Thanks to that, I see my career from another perspective. I feel more mature to get back on track. "

A: “I have been some years without spending time with the family. I have trained at home with great joy and the warmth of my people and we have just started to perform personal routines complying with sanitary measures. I remain focused on my goal. The postponement of everything does not discourage me ”.

Fears of stagnation plagued them for moments, but the talent was further potentiated by technical and psychological changes.

S: “I have to thank the confidence of Yipsi Moreno, who supported the strategy of reducing my competitive demand to achieve punctual results. It helped me stay away from injuries and I achieved good marks, including the national record that I equaled in 2019. When José Alberto Sánchez began to train me, we decided to work six months as if they were the last of my career. That psychological goal helped me get out of a comfort zone that I had reached because I didn't have many rivals in Cuba. "

A: “The medals in Central American and Pan American Games were the fruit of the sweat of my team and of competitive maturity. Then I made modifications to the tactical plans and the structure of the race. With my new coach Francisco Ayala, we altered the rhythm in the final stages. From 300 meters I increase the pace and obtain very favorable results. Slow races don't help me, we work to maintain intensity. ”

Stepping on the synthetic oval gives them an indefinable smile. They return to the step with the same longing.

A: “They are my third Olympics, maybe the last ones, and I will not waste time. Participating means a conquest, but I want to do both laps in the final. As the term extended, I gained time to eliminate deficiencies and test myself against the main rivals. Now I only think of Tokyo "

S: “Because of how hard it is for me to stay healthy, I was planning to finish the Olympic Games, but now the cycle is reduced and in 2022 we will have Central Caribbean Games. I will try to continue, depending on what we achieve in Japan. Then I will contribute my experience in the relays and I will fight the rising boys to be better than me ”.

At 27, Almanza's record is among the best in the history of Cuba and America with a personal mark of 1.57.70m, podiums in Central and Pan American and various world finals. Skyers, with 28 calendars, accompanies Silvio Leonard as the national hectometer record with 9.98 s and has been king of speed in regional and continental multidisciplinary events. Neither ends yet, just look at the next step.