Between countries: Cuban-born Reynier Mena to miss Worlds after posting year’s third-fastest time in 200

There will be a bit less sizzle in the World Athletics Championships men’s 200 due to the absence of this year’s third-fastest man.

Cuban sprinter Reynier Mena is not entered for Oregon22 despite clocking a phenomenal 19.63 seconds on July 3. That tied Mena for 10th fastest performer in history. Only Americans Erriyon Knighton (19.49) and Noah Lyles (19.61) have run faster this season.

Mena asked to break ties with the Cuban Athletics Federation last September. By the end of the year, he had moved to Portugal, where he was welcomed by the Benfica club. The sprinter is reportedly filing for a change of allegiance, which won’t come in time for him to compete at Worlds.

Until the first Sunday in July, the 25-year-old would barely have been missed at the starting line. But that’s when he suddenly dipped below the 20-second barrier for the first time in his career in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Mena slashed a whopping .41 off his personal best with a time of 19.63 seconds. Prior to that race, his official best time in the 200 this season was 20.04, which is respectable, but nothing for the Americans to worry about.

It is unclear if Mena’s time will be considered the Cuban record since he no longer represents that country officially, although the World Athletics website still lists his nationality as Cuban with a symbol of the flag.

Mena also broke 10-flat for the first time in the 100 at the Swiss meet, clocking 9.99 seconds.

In a published interview last month, Mena told Play-Off Magazine the reasons behind his decision to withdraw from the Cuban federation.

“It was something that I had already planned to do for a long time since I want to turn my sports career around and look for other options,” he said. “I want to get out of my comfort zone and also seek improvement in every way, both in sports and in my personal life.”

Mena added, “I clarify that I have no problem with the Federation, nor with the National Athletics Commission; I simply want to turn my sports career around.”

The top two triple jumpers in the world this year are also from Cuba, but they will not be on the runway at Hayward Field. Jordan Diaz Fortun defected from Cuba in June 2021, missing the Tokyo Olympics. He acquired Spanish citizenship this year, setting Spain’s triple jump record, and has the world-leading mark this year of 17.87 meters.

The No. 2 triple jumper, Andy Diaz, who has leaped 17.68 meters, is also not entered at the worlds. He competes for an Italian club, Livorno Libertas.

Mena was the bronze medallist in both sprints at the 2013 World U18 Championships. He competed for Cuba at the Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton in 2015 and at the Rio Olympic Games, where he did not get out of the heats in the 200 and was a member of Cuba’s 4 x 100-meter relay team. In 2019, Mena was fifth in the 200 at the Pan American Games in Lima and reached the semifinals at the World Championships in Doha in the 200.

However, in both 2020 and 2021, all of Mena’s races were in Cuba, which could partly be attributed to pandemic travel restrictions. He posted best times last year of 10.43 in the 100 and 20.59 in the 200. Before this year, Mena had personal bests of 10.04 in the 100 and 20.26 in the 200 (not counting a hand-timed 19.90).

This season he has raced in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Finland and Italy.

With Mena sitting home in a couple of weeks, that leaves three Americans atop the world list: Knighton, the 18-year-old who became the fourth fastest man in history; Lyles, the defending world champion, and the versatile Fred Kerley, who posted a time of 19.80. Kerley is also entered in the 100, where he has the world-leading time of the fastest man in the world this year in the 100 (9.76). Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek from the U.S. is also in the mix at 19.87.

If Mena decides to switch his allegiance to Portugal, he would be following in the footsteps of Olympic triple jump champ Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who switched to Portugal in 2018 and will be wearing that country’s uniform in Oregon. There is speculation that Olympic long jump silver medalist Juan Miguel Echevarria – who has not competed this season — is also transferring to Portugal. He will not compete at worlds.

The Cuban team is small with only six men and 10 women. There are two triple jumpers, Lazara Martinez, who went 17.64 meters indoors, and Andy Eugenio Hechevarria, whose best mark this year is 17.09.

The only Cuban male sprinter on the entry list is Shainer Rengifo Montoya, who has run 10.11 in the 100 and 20.51 in the 200.