Yadira Silva Llorente (born 24 December 1985) is a Cuban-born Mexican table tennis player who participated in the 2008, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics
After winning several medals in the 2002 Cuban National Games and 2003 Junior Latin American Championships playing as a Cuban, Silva married Mexican coach Roberto Madrigal Hernández and established herself in Mexico. With her new citizenship, she represented Mexico in the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament, qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she was knocked out in the qualification round. She won the 2010 Latin American Championship and the silver medal in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and 2011 Latin American Cup.
Silva played in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 World Team Championships, helping Mexico to reach the 56th, 59th and 66th place. In the 2011 World Championships she played the singles, women's and mixed doubles without reaching the main draw. In 2010 she won the Tabasco's State Sports Award. In the 2012 Summer Olympics she failed to progress beyond the qualification round.
Early and personal life
Silva was born on 24 December 1985 in [La Habana del Este , Cuba. She is tall and weighs . Silva started in table tennis at the age of 10 when her brother Maikel Silva Llorente took her to a table tennis club in Union de Reyes, Matanzas under Zoilo Isasi supervision, who was her first coach . The next year she started in the Sporting Initial School and by the age of 13, she joined the Cuban High Performance Center and won the Cancun Open in 2002 at the age of 16. After arriving in Mexico in 2004, she worked as a trainer and her students qualified for the National Games in 2006.
She obtained Mexican citizenship after marrying the Mexican Roberto Madrigal Hernández, who is also her coach. She has two daughters, Yadira and Angelica Madrigal Silva, and lives with her family in the Mexican city of Villahermosa, Tabasco. Silva considers herself a housewife who still prepares Cuban food, but has been taught Mexican cuisine by her mother-in-law. Silva has confessed that leaving her daughters is the toughest thing for her, even when her mother Bárbara Llorente takes care of them. She considers her mom an example and appreciates the great deal of support she gives her.
Equipment
As of 2012, Silva's equipment is Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit blade with Butterfly Tenergy 64 in both sides.
Career for Cuba
2002
She took part of the 2002 Cuban National Games (I Olimpiada Nacional) representing centrales as a 17 years old, winning four gold medals: in singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles with Pavel Oxamendi and team. At that time she was said to be pretty, quiet and talented.
2003
In April, Silva took part of the Latin American Junior Championships held in Santa Clara, Cuba, winning the silver medal in singles, the gold in women's doubles and the silver in mixed doubles, qualifying for that year World Junior Championships.
Playing for Cuba, she earned her spot for the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, by winning the gold medal at the special tournament.
Playing with Dayana Ferrer, they defeated Salvadorians Wang De Ying and Morayle Álvarez 4–1 (4–11, 6–11, 10–12, 12–10, 4–11), then lost 4–0 to Americans Tawny Banh and Lily Yip in the quarter-final round. In the singles event, and lost in the singles round of 16 to American Gao Jun, who later won the gold medal.
At the singles tournament of the Latin American Championships, she fell in the semifinals, and got 8th in doubles, playing with Dayana Ferrer.
Career for Mexico
In 2004 she arrived in Mexico but did not play until the Cancun Open the next year. She also won two more local tournaments in Quintana Roo and Pachuca in 2006. But she was not able to play again until the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament when she received the clearance to represent her new country.