Yunaika Crawford
Encyclopedia
Yunaika Crawford Rogert (born November 2, 1982 in Marianao
, Ciudad de la Habana) is a Cuba
n hammer throw
er who won the Olympic bronze medal in 2004
with a personal best throw of 73.16 metres.
, finishing ninth. She had set a season's best throw of 57.03 metres in the qualifying round. The next year she won the silver medal at the inaugural World Youth Championships
, for athletes aged seventeen and less. She threw 57.56 metres to win that medal, but had managed a personal best of 62.71 metres in Havana
in March. One year after that, in March 2000, she improved to 65.88 metres in Las Tunas
. The 2000 World Junior Championships
were staged in Santiago de Chile, with Crawford winning the bronze medal. It was the second championships that included the women's hammer throw.
In her last season as a junior, Crawford won the Pan American Junior Championships. She did so in a new championship record of 63.20 metres, and her season's best was 65.67 m, from Santiago de Cuba
in July. She also won the 2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships
, again in a championship record, this time 58.68 metres.
in July. She improved slightly the next year, with 70.69 from Havana in May. She won the silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games
, behind countryfellow Yipsi Moreno
. She also competed at the 2003 World Championships
, but with a 64.59 throw in the qualifying round, she did not reach the top twelve, who progressed to the final.
In 2004, Crawford beat her 2003 best result several times. Having started the season with a couple of competitions in the 60-metre range, she launched a 71.62 metre throw in Havana in March. She then dropped below 70 metres in the next competition, before returning with a 70.44 m throw in Seville
, 71.75 in Guadalajara
, 71.40 in Padova and 70.33 in Kazan
. Entering the Olympic Games, she threw 71.74 metres in the qualifying round and progressed safely to the final. Here, she reached new levels to throw a career best of 73.16 metres. This was enough to win the Olympic bronze medal. Ahead of her on the poodium were Russian Olga Kuzenkova
, who had started with a 73.18 metre throw and been leading throughout the competition, and pre-event favourite Yipsi Moreno who had to settle for silver.
In 2005 she only managed a season's best of 69.30 metres, from Havana in March. She competed at the 2005 World Championships, but fell through in the qualification round. With only 63.79 metres she was far from securing a place in the final round. She did however win the silver medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships
, this time behind Trinidadian Candice Scott
. The next year her season's best throw was 71.92 metres. However, no major events were staged this year, except for the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
, where she won another silver medal behind Yipsi Moreno.
In 2007 she managed to reach an international final again, at the 2007 World Championships
, but in the final round she finished twelfth and last following two throws in the 67-metre range. She then competed at the 2008 Olympic Games
, but did not reach the final round and finishing with a 31st place.
Marianao
Marianao is a town and municipality in the province of the city of Havana, Cuba, 6 miles southwest of the original city of Havana, with which it is connected by the Marianao railway. , the municipality had a population of 133,016. Marianao is on a range of hills about 1500 ft. above sea level,...
, Ciudad de la Habana) is a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n hammer throw
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
er who won the Olympic bronze medal in 2004
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
with a personal best throw of 73.16 metres.
Early career
Crawford made an early debut on the international stage. At the age of sixteen, she competed at the 1998 World Junior Championships1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1998 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Annecy, France from July 28 to August 2, 1998.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
, finishing ninth. She had set a season's best throw of 57.03 metres in the qualifying round. The next year she won the silver medal at the inaugural World Youth Championships
1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the first edition of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz, Poland from July 16 to July 18, 1999.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:...
, for athletes aged seventeen and less. She threw 57.56 metres to win that medal, but had managed a personal best of 62.71 metres in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
in March. One year after that, in March 2000, she improved to 65.88 metres in Las Tunas
Las Tunas
Cuba:*Las Tunas Province*Victoria de Las Tunas .Argentina:*Las Tunas - A shantytown....
. The 2000 World Junior Championships
2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
were staged in Santiago de Chile, with Crawford winning the bronze medal. It was the second championships that included the women's hammer throw.
In her last season as a junior, Crawford won the Pan American Junior Championships. She did so in a new championship record of 63.20 metres, and her season's best was 65.67 m, from Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
in July. She also won the 2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships
2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2001 Central American Championships in Athletics were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala.-Men's events:-Women's events:A = affected by altitude-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
, again in a championship record, this time 58.68 metres.
Senior career
In 2002 Crawford broke the 70-metre barrier for the first time, with 70.62 metres achieved during a meet in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in July. She improved slightly the next year, with 70.69 from Havana in May. She won the silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2003 Pan American Games was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Tuesday August 5 to Saturday August 9, 2003...
, behind countryfellow Yipsi Moreno
Yipsi Moreno
Yipsi Moreno González is a Cuban hammer thrower. She is a double world champion and Olympic silver medalist, a former world junior record holder and current area record holder...
. She also competed at the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
, but with a 64.59 throw in the qualifying round, she did not reach the top twelve, who progressed to the final.
In 2004, Crawford beat her 2003 best result several times. Having started the season with a couple of competitions in the 60-metre range, she launched a 71.62 metre throw in Havana in March. She then dropped below 70 metres in the next competition, before returning with a 70.44 m throw in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, 71.75 in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
, 71.40 in Padova and 70.33 in Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
. Entering the Olympic Games, she threw 71.74 metres in the qualifying round and progressed safely to the final. Here, she reached new levels to throw a career best of 73.16 metres. This was enough to win the Olympic bronze medal. Ahead of her on the poodium were Russian Olga Kuzenkova
Olga Kuzenkova
Olga Sergeyevna Kuzenkova is a Russian athlete, the first woman to throw the hammer more than 70 meters.She won gold in the women's hammer throw event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.She trained with Aleksandr Seleznyov.-Notes:...
, who had started with a 73.18 metre throw and been leading throughout the competition, and pre-event favourite Yipsi Moreno who had to settle for silver.
In 2005 she only managed a season's best of 69.30 metres, from Havana in March. She competed at the 2005 World Championships, but fell through in the qualification round. With only 63.79 metres she was far from securing a place in the final round. She did however win the silver medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships
2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in athletics were held at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, between 8–11 July 2005. Nearly 700 athletes from around 30 of the region's countries competed at the event.-Men's events:...
, this time behind Trinidadian Candice Scott
Candice Scott
Candice Henrietta Scott is a track and field athlete who is a hammer throw specialist from Trinidad and Tobago.Her personal best throw is 71.45 metres, achieved in May 2005 in Marietta, Georgia....
. The next year her season's best throw was 71.92 metres. However, no major events were staged this year, except for the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
Athletics at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
The athletics competition at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games took place at the Estadio Pedro de Heredia in Cartagena, Colombia and lasted from July 25 to July 29. There were 23 events for men and 21 for women...
, where she won another silver medal behind Yipsi Moreno.
In 2007 she managed to reach an international final again, at the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics - Women's hammer throw
The Women's Hammer Throw event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics took place on August 28, 2007 and August 30, 2007 at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan...
, but in the final round she finished twelfth and last following two throws in the 67-metre range. She then competed at the 2008 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's hammer throw
The Women's Hammer Throw event at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 18–20 August at the Beijing National Stadium.The qualifying standards were 69.50 m and 67.00 m .-Medalists:-Schedule:...
, but did not reach the final round and finishing with a 31st place.