Yunior Díaz 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 track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 athlete who specialises in the decathlon

Decathlon

The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...

. He represented Cuba at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 and also at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

. He won the silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics

2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics

The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...

.

Career

His first success as a junior athlete came at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships

Pan American Junior Athletics Championships

The Pan American Junior Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field athletes from the Americas. They were first held in 1980. The IAAF defines Junior as athletes who are 19 years of age or under.-Summary of Championships:...

 where he won the silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

. Díaz emerged as one of a talented trio of Cuban male decathletes along with Leonel Suárez

Leonel Suárez

Leonel Suárez is a male decathlete from Cuba. He was the bronze medalist in the event at the 2008 Summer Olympics and improved to the silver medal at the 2009 World Championships...

 and Yordanis García

Yordanis García

Yordanis García Barrisonte is a male decathlete from Cuba who competed for his native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, PR China. He is the nephew of Yenima Arencibia....

. Cuban combined events coach Gabino Arzola stated in 2005 that it was his intent to see three Cubans compete in the decathlon at the 2012 Olympic Games.

He set a decathlon personal best of 8057 in his home town of Havana in March 2008, breaking the 8000-point barrier for the first time. Díaz's first appearance on the global stage came soon after at 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

, but he did not compete in his specialist event but rather as part of Cuba's 4×400 metres relay team with Yunier Pérez, William Collazo

William Collazo

William Collazo is a Cuban sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.He won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships...

 and Omar Cisneros

Omar Cisneros

Omar Cisneros Bonora is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the Cuban national record holder for the event with his personal best of 47.99 seconds...

. The team failed to progress beyond the heats stage of the competition. He won his first senior medal the following year in Havana at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics

2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics

The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...

, finishing as runner-up behind compatriot Leonel Suárez but managing to score over 8000 points for the second time in his career with a final total of 8013.

Díaz was selected to represent Cuba in the decathlon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 along with Suárez and García. He was in second place after five events (having scored 4512 points) and although he had slipped to ninth place by the end of the competition, he managed to significantly improve his personal best to 8357 points. This score gave him eleventh place on the season's decathlon rankings

2009 Decathlon Year Ranking

This page lists the World Best Year Performance in the year 2009 in the men's decathlon. The main event during this season were the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, where the competition was held on August 19 and August 20, 2009.-Records:-2009 World Year Ranking:-References:****...

.

Personal bests

Event	Points	Venue	Date
Heptathlon Heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...	5831	Sumy Sumy * 1897 - 70.53% Ukrainians, 24.1% Russians, 2.6% Jewish, 2.67% others* 1926 - 80.7% Ukrainians, 11.8% Russians, 5.5% Jewish, 2% others* 1959 - 79% Ukrainians, 20% Russians, 1% others... , Ukraine	18 February 2010
Decathlon Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...	8357	Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany	20 August 2009

• All information taken from IAAF profile.

Competition record

2005	Pan American Junior Championships 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 13th Pan American Junior Athletics Championships were held inWindsor, Ontario at the University of Windsor Stadium on July 29-31, 2005.-Participation :Detailed result lists can be found on the Athletics Canada, the CACAC, the...	Windsor, Ontario Windsor, Ontario Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor... , Canada	2nd
2008	Summer Olympics 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China	7th (heats)	4×400 metres relay
2009	CAC Championships 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...	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... , Cuba	2nd
	World Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....	Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany	9th	8357 pts 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's decathlon The men's decathlon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 19 and August 20.-Medalists:-Records:Prior to the competition, the following records were as follows.-Qualification standards:-Schedule:...

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