Yasmani Copello Bio: Wife, Career & Sponsors

Yasmani Copello Escobar is a 37 years old Cuban-born professional track and field hurdler representing Turkey. 

He switched his nationality due to a lack of opportunity in his homeland. Moreover, changing his nationality proved successful in his professional and personal life. 

After moving to Turkey, he also found the love of his life, Elif Koc. Later they married in 2017, and she has always supported him a lot in his professional career. 

Likewise, he is a two-time Olympian and even won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

Similarly, Copello’s 400m hurdles personal best timing is 47.81 seconds which he set in European Athletics Championship in 2018. 

Before looking in-depth into Yasmani Copello’s life, let’s look at quicks facts first. 

Quick Facts

Yasmani Copello | Personal Life and Training

Yasmani Copello was born on 15th April 1987 in Cuba. However, he carries the Turkish flag on his chest while competing at international events. 

He started his track and field journey after his mom encouraged Copello to compete in the sport. 

Personal Life

His new home in Turkey also opens the way for his love life. While learning Spanish, Yasmani met his future wife, Elif Koc. 

Moreover, they were introduced by their mutual friends. Later, their friendship turned into a relationship and eventually into marriage. 

The couple married in Turkey in 2017. However, they also organized a small marriage celebration in Copello’s birthplace too. 

Copello’s wife is a track coach, and she has a huge role in his successful career, helping and encouraging him in training and competitions. She is also a former volley player. 

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Training

Copello has an all-around developed physique. He trains 7 hours a day to maintain his ripped, muscular, athletic body.

He likes to do outdoor sessions in the morning and indoor sessions in the afternoon. 

Moreover, he does his track and field training outdoors, whereas indoor he does weights and abs training. 

Besides, his training Copello is also conscious about his recovery. He always sleeps 8 hours daily.

Likewise, he does recovery sessions like massage and ice baths after every training session. 

Hobbies

Copello is a huge fan of video games. During his free time, he likes to play video games on his PlayStation or computer. 

Likewise, besides athletics, he also likes to watch and play basketball and football. Interestingly, he can also dunk a basketball.   

Yasmani Copello | Professional Career

Cuba

Copello started competing at national events in 2006 as a teenager. In the Cuban Athletics Championship, he finished fourth, and in OlimpiadaCubana, he finished fifth. 

Later, in 2007 in his first international competition, he finished runner-up to Cuban athlete Omar Cisneros in the 2007 ALBA Games. 

Moreover, he finished the race with his new personal best time of 49.99 seconds. He also competed in a 4×400 m relay where he helped Ciba win the gold medal. 

Likewise, his other relay title for Cuba came in the 2008 Ibero-American Championship. 

He also competed in 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championship but secured silver behind Jamaican Isa Phillips.

Although he was named in the provisional squad for the Cuba relay team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, he didn’t participate later. 

However, next year at the 2009 ALBA Game, he again repeated his previous finishes. He 400m hurdles he finished second whereas in relay Cuba secured first place. 

But in the Central American and Caribbean Championship, he could finish in podium position. 

Later in 2010, he secured the second position in Cuba’s Barrientos Memorial and victory in Olimpiada Cubana. 

Next year his win in the 2011 Copa Cuba meet became his last win in his home country before moving to Turkey.

After moving to Turkey in 2012, he joined Fenerbahce Athletics, winning the national championship in his first year. 

Later, in 2013 Copello set his new personal best and Cuban record in 400m hurdles. In the Meeting, Val de Reuil finished with 49.54 seconds.

Moreover, his indoor 400m timing was faster than his outdoor at that time which is an unusual record. 

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Switching Nationality

When Copello’s coach sidelined him from Cuba national team, his passion and ambition led him to train under the new private coach. 

Later, his continuous success in Fenerbahce caught Turkish track and field national team managers. 

So, in October 2013, he opted for Turkish nationality. Later, in April 2014, he was able to represent Turkey at international events. 

Olympics

Yasmani Copello competed in his first Olympics at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He qualified for the next round with the timing of 49.52 and improved with 48.61 in the semis. 

Later, in the finals, he placed third, finishing with a time of 47.92 seconds. Moreover, it was Turkey’s first medal in the track category. 

In the recent 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he failed to finish in podium position. However, Copello reached his second consecutive finals. 

He qualified for finals finishing with the timing of 49 seconds and 47.88 seconds. Later, in the main event, Copello placed sixth with season-best 47.81 seconds. 

Other International Events

In his first 2016 European Championship, Copello won his first gold medal representing Turkey. In 400m hurdles finals, he won with a time of 48.98. 

Next year, in IAFF World Athletics Championship in London, he finished the second position in 48.49 seconds. 

Likewise, in the 2018 Berlin European Championship, Copello secured the second position. Moreover, he finished with a personal best time of 47.64.  

Later, in the 2019 IAFF World Athletics Championship, he reached the finals. However, he failed out of podium position, finishing sixth. 

Yasmani Copello | Earnings and Sponsors

Earnings

In 2017 after securing the second position in the IAFF World Athletics Championship, Yasmani Copello bagged home $15,000. 

Likewise, in the 2015 IAFF World Championship in Beijing, he could not finish in a podium position but took $3,000. 

In addition, he has secured two victories in Diamond league meetings at Oslo and Birmingham, where he earned a total of $20,000. 

He also finished second in the 2021 Stockholm meeting earning 6,000. Furthermore, Copello has finished in 3rd position two times, earning him $7,000 in total. 

However, after winning a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, the cash prize he received has not been revealed yet. 

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Sponsors

Yasmani Copello currently plays for ENKA Sports Club, but the athletics team doesn’t reveal their salary, unlike other sports.  

So, his salary is still under review as it has not been published anywhere. In addition, he is represented by Rosa E Associati. 

During the beginning of his career in Turkey in 2012, he played for Fenerebache Athletics. 

Copello is Nike sponsored athlete. He always wears Nike gear and shoes during national and international competitions. 

Likewise, he also has been involved in various advertising campaigns for Nike in his nation. 

Similarly, Yasmani Copello is among a few Nike athletics who is part of their Nike Vision project.

Moreover, he is one of the first athletics to wear their wings sunglasses designed by VSP Global.

Copello is one of the ambassadors of Gloria Sports Arena. It’s also a place where he does all of his indoor and outdoor training. 

Recovery is an essential part of any sport. He has a sponsorship deal with Wintecare; he is still fit to race even at the late stage of his career due to proper recovery facilities. 

Furthermore, he also has to deal with SC nutrition that provides him with nutrition and supplements for his recovery. 

Lastly, he is sponsored by Performtexusa. He uses their tapes during running training and at races. 

The exact figure of his net worth is still unknown. However, as per various online sources, Copello estimated net worth is between $500k to $1 million. 

Yasmani Copello | Social Media Presence

Yasmani Copello is active on social media platforms. He regularly updates posts on his social media handles.

However, considering his fame and status, he has fewer followers than expected. Altogether he has a combined of 16k followers on 3 handles. 

Moreover, he is more active on Instagram than other handles. He likes to uploads photos and videos of his training and competitions. 

In addition, Copello regularly posts how and what workouts and routines he does for his training to improve and maintain his fitness. 

He is also public about his relationship status. One can find many photos of him and her wife on his social media. 

Lastly, Copello regularly advertises the brands and companies that sponsored him on his social media. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Did Yasmani Copello compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

Yasmani Copello competed in 400m hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During the event, he finished 2nd and 3rd in the heats and semi-finals. 

Later, he placed sixth in the finals with 47.81 seconds, falling out of medal finish this time. 

When did Yasmani Copello switch his nationality?

Yasmani Copello changed his nationality to Turkish from Cuban in October 2013. However, he became eligible to represent them internationally in April 2014. 

Copello mentions he switched his nationality when the Cuban national team coach sidelined him.

Who is Yasmani Copello’s wife?

Yasmani Copello married Elif Koc in 2017. Moreover, the transition of nationality also helped him find the love of his life. 

Although marriage ceremony was held in Turkey, couples later also organized small celebrations in Cuba too.