Yargelis Savigne

Yargelis Savigne

Yargelis Savigne Herrera (born 13 November 1984 in Guantanamo) is a Cuban athlete competing in the triple jump and long jump.

Her international breakthrough came in 2005, when she, competing in both the triple and long jump events at the 2005 World Championships, won a silver medal and finished fourth, respectively. She continued her form throughout the year to place third at the World Athletics Final with 14.81.

She won a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in the triple jump, with a distance of 15.28 m. At the 2008 World Indoor Championships, Savigne lay in second before her final attempt, with an area record of 14.95 m, behind Hrysopiyi Devetzi's Greek record of 15.00 m. However, Savigne jumped 15.05 m on her final attempt to take the gold medal.

Savigne won her second major outdoor gold medal at the 2009 World Championships. Her jump of 14.95 m was enough to win in a modest competition which saw compatriot Mabel Gay take silver with 14.61 m. The following year she won the silver medal at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing behind Olga Rypakova who made the third longest indoor jump ever for the gold. In the outdoor season, she improved her long jump best to 6.91 m in Reims at a meeting on the Alma Athlé Tour, despite having trouble with her right ankle. She remained focused on her triple jump speciality, however, aiming to return to her 2007 peak form.