CIAT Will Host 200 Athletes from the Canary Islands at the Winter Criterium

The Tenerife Island Council, through its Sports Department, presents the Winter Track and Field Criterium, which will be held on December 10, 17, and 18 at the Tenerife Athletics Center (CIAT). This event, organized by the Tenerife CajaCanarias Club, is expected to bring together nearly 200 participants from all the islands for jumping, throwing, and combined events certified by the Tenerife Island Athletics Federation.

The island’s Sports Minister, Concepción Rivero, presented the details of this competition alongside the island’s director of sports, Ángel Luis Pérez; the president of the Tenerife CajaCanarias Athletics Club, Héctor González; and the club’s athlete, Valentina Marzari.

Concepción Rivero explained that there is high demand for competitions in these events and highlighted their importance, “since this is the first opportunity for jumpers, throwers, and combined event athletes from all over the Canary Islands to achieve the qualifying standards that will allow them to compete in next season’s national championships.” For all these reasons, she stated that “the event is generating a great deal of excitement in the world of track and field, attracting athletes from all the islands.”

For his part, the island’s director of sports, Ángel Luis Pérez, emphasized the role of the Tenerife Athletics Federation, “which will hold, on the same day and at the same venue, a series of qualifying events that are not part of the Criterium, but which will complement the event’s athletic offerings, adding sprint and long-distance events to the day’s program.” He stated that this will result in “a highly participatory event in which all Canarian athletes will be able to take part.”

Héctor González, president of the Tenerife CajaCanarias Athletics Club, emphasized the importance of events like the Criterium, “because of its variety of events and the opportunities it offers to elite athletes.” He also noted that the registration deadline for the Criterium’s jumping and throwing events is this Friday at 8:00 p.m., while the deadline for the combined events will be next Friday at the same time.

In support of this idea, Valentina Marzari, an athlete with the Tenerife CajaCanarias Athletics Club, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity “that these types of competitions offer at the end of the year—which are sometimes difficult to hold because they must take place outdoors— but the islands’ good weather allows us to hold them as a warm-up for the new season.”

During the first phase of the championship, which will take place on Saturday, December 10, the discus, javelin, hammer, and shot put events will be held, as well as the high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump. Competitions will be held in men’s and women’s categories, with the number of participants limited to 12 athletes per event and gender, for a total of 96 throwers and 96 jumpers.

The second phase of the competition will take place on the weekend of December 17 and 18, during which the athletes will compete in the combined events. In the women’s pentathlon, athletes will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, and either the 600- or 800-meter dash, depending on their category. For the men’s category, the heptathlon will consist of the 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, pole vault, shot put, and 1,000-meter run. Finally, the men’s exathlon—or the exathlon for junior categories—will consist of the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, the long jump, shot put, and high jump, and the 1,000-meter run.

Among the participating athletes will be discus thrower Yasiel Sotero, who is the European champion and national record holder in the U20 category, and is returning to competition for the first time since undergoing open-heart surgery last season. Also in attendance will be such prominent figures as high jumper Simón Siverio; shot putter Guillermo García Echandi; discus thrower Emma García; long jumper Lucía Curbelo; decathlete Javier Pérez Rasines; Sonya Trevisán, also a decathlete; and Valentina Marzari, a shot putter.