Aiming for podium finishes with strong results is the goal of the five Cubans who will compete today at the Pan American Athletics Championships, a three-day event in Medellín, Colombia, featuring over 700 athletes from 30 nations.

Shot putter Dianelis Delís will be the first from the Island to appear at the Alfonso Galavis Duque Stadium, where the meet was officially inaugurated Thursday night. Delís threw the shot 18.64 meters last March at Havana's Pan American Stadium, her personal best. Approaching or perhaps surpassing that distance is one of her goals, on a day when her hammer throw and men's shot put teammates will also be challenged.

In the hammer throw, Ronald Mencía and Miguel Ángel Zamora will compete in an event with 11 entrants, including Mexico's national record holder Diego del Real and two-time U.S. world finalist Daniel Haugh. Mencía has a personal best of 77.97 meters from last May, while Zamora has 74.07 meters since 2023.

For Juan Carley, 2021 world junior champion with a best of 20.78 meters, the shot put contest will feature only six competitors, with his top rival being Brazil's William Dourado, recent Ibero-American champion.

Completing Friday's Cuban contingent is distance runner Anisleidis Ochoa, one of five women competing in the 5,000 meters. Ochoa holds the national record of 15:31.35 minutes and ran 15:26.2 in late May, though in a mixed race in Havana.

For Sunday, the final day of the championships, the 800 meters are scheduled, where attention will focus on Daily Cooper, one of the Island's top athletes for the upcoming Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.