LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Former Cuba and Sudan triple jumper Yamile Aldama will make her debut for Britain and Northern Ireland at the age of 39 after being selected in a 67-strong squad for this month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The Cuban-born athlete represented her birth country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishing fourth, and became world number one in 2003. Having failed to obtain a British passport in time for the Athens Olympics in 2004 she chose to compete for Sudan, finishing fifth.">LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Former Cuba and Sudan triple jumper Yamile Aldama will make her debut for Britain and Northern Ireland at the age of 39 after being selected in a 67-strong squad for this month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The Cuban-born athlete represented her birth country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishing fourth, and became world number one in 2003. Having failed to obtain a British passport in time for the Athens Olympics in 2004 she chose to compete for Sudan, finishing fifth.">

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Ex-Cuba triple jumper Aldama makes British worlds team

  • Submitted by: manso
  • 08 / 10 / 2011

LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Former Cuba and Sudan triple jumper Yamile Aldama will make her debut for Britain and Northern Ireland at the age of 39 after being selected in a 67-strong squad for this month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

The Cuban-born athlete represented her birth country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishing fourth, and became world number one in 2003. Having failed to obtain a British passport in time for the Athens Olympics in 2004 she chose to compete for Sudan, finishing fifth.

Aldama, who has switched her allegiance to Britain after eventually obtaining a British passport last year, will be 39-years-old before the world championships and will become the oldest female athlete to make her debut for Britain in track and field.

A good performance in Daegu could see her selected for the London 2012 Games.

Strong medal contenders in the squad selected by head coach Charles van Commenee include world and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu, who holds both titles in the triple jump, and European 5,000 and 10,000 metres champion Mo Farah.

European and Commonwealth 400 metre hurdles champion Dai Greene also makes the squad alongside struggling Olympic 400 metre champion Christine Ohuruogu, whose recent form has been poor.

The World Championships take place between Aug. 27 and Sept. 4. (Reporting by Neil Maidment; Editing by Ossian Shine)


Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=reu-worldbritainaldama

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