Nelkis Teresa Casabona González (born 12 May 1984) is a Cuban track and field

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

er who specialises in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

. She has a personal best of 22.97 seconds for the event. She represented Cuba at the World Championships in Athletics and

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

in 2011. Casabona was born and raised in Pueblo Nuevo, one of three neighborhoods of the city of

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, in Cuba's

Matanzas Province Matanzas () is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas. The resort town of Varadero is also located in this province. Among Cuban provinces, ...

.Diaz, Antonio (2011-07-29)
La gema Casabona
. JIT. Retrieved on 2012-07-18. In her first international appearance she finished fourth in the 200 m final at the

2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the second edition of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Debrecen, Hungary 12–15 July 2001. Results Boys Girls Medal table References External links results< ...

, but was disqualified for a lane infraction. It was not until 2009 that she began to make her impact on the Cuban senior ranks. That year she ran personal bests of 11.62 seconds for the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and 23.84 seconds for the 200 m. She was runner-up over 200 m at the 2009 ALBA Games, held in Havana, and helped the Cuban women win the 4×100 metres relay. She did not run abroad in 2010; her season was highlighted by a 100 m win at the

Barrientos Memorial The Barrientos Memorial ( es, Memorial José Barrientos) is an annual track and field meeting in Havana, Cuba each May. The event was first held in 1946, in recognition of José Barrientos (a former Cuban Olympic sprinter), who died in an aviation ...

and new best of 11.39 seconds for the distance.Casabona Nelkis
IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-07-18. The 2011 season proved to be a breakthrough one for Casabona. She improved her 100 m best to 11.31 seconds then won both sprints at the Barrientos Memorial. She won the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay events at the

2011 ALBA Games The IV ALBA Games (Spanish: ''Juegos del ALBA Bicentenario'') is a multi-sport event held between 17–30 July 2011 in ten different states of Venezuela. The games are organized by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA). Participating n ...

. She broke the games record times in the events and dipped under twenty-three seconds for the first time in the 200 m final, running 22.97 seconds. Her global senior debut followed at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in th ...

: she was knocked out in the 100 m heats, but reached the 200 m final. An appearance at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

closed her season and she was a finalist in both sprints as well as part of the fourth-placed Cuban relay team. She won both Cuban sprint titles in 2012 and placed seventh in the 200 m at the

2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The 2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (''Spanish: XV Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was the fifteenth edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations. It was held at the Polideportivo Máxi ...

. She was chosen to run the 200 m for the Cuban team at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

.Cuba announces team of 47 for London Games
IAAF (2012-07-16). Retrieved on 2012-07-16.

Personal bests

*100 m: 11.31 s – Havana, 12 May 2011 *200 m: 22.97 s (wind: +2.0 m/s) – Barquisimeto, 29 July 2011

Achievements

References

External links

*
Sports reference biographyTilastopaja biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casabona, Nelkis Living people 1984 births Cuban female sprinters Sportspeople from Matanzas Province Pan American Games competitors for Cuba Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Cuba Olympic female sprinters