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 a youngest daughter from Jorge silva and Angelica llorente She is tall and weighs . Silva started in table tennis at the age of 10 when her brother Dr. 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 Angelica 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.
2008 At the World Team Championships held in February in Guangzhou, China, Silva played with Laura Rosales, Sarah Rosas and Daniela Sánchez. They lost 3–0 to Turkey in the first round, and Silva lost 3–0 to Melek Hu. Silva scored a 3–0 victory over Erdenesuvd Byambaa to complete a 3–0 victory over Mongolia. Uzbekistan defeated Mexico 3–2, but Silva won her two matches to Aliye Ismailova (3–2) and Rimma Gufranova (3–1). Silva defeated Lyanne Aponte, as her team defeated Puerto Rico 3–0. They finally beat Latvia 3–1 with Silva's two victories over Inta Laudupe (3–2) and Baiba Bogdasarova (3–0). After the defeat 0–3 from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second stage for the 49–60 placement draw, Mexico faced Macau, who defeat them 0–3 with Silva's 3–2 victory over Ma Chao in and a 3–0 defeat from Wong Choi Chi. In the 53–56 placement they were defeated by Uzbekistan 3–0 with a Silva's 3–2 defeat from Aliye Ismailova. They finally lost 2–3 to Kazakhstan and finished in the 56th position in the World Championship; Silva lost 1–2 to Marina Shumakova and won 3–1 to Yelena Shagarova.
Silva won the right to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the singles last chance from the Latin American Qualification Tournament held in Santo Domingo in April. The two previous days she could only reach the second round, but in the third she defeated the Cuban Glendys González to win her Olympic ticket. This made her the first ever Mexican representative in table tennis at the Summer Olympics, as well makes her known in her new country. Days later, she played the Latin American Championship's quarterfinal in the same venue and lost to Dominican Lian Qian in the singles quarterfinals. In the team competition, she defeated Ruaida Ezzeddine and Luisana Pérez to help her national team to qualify to the quarterfinals. With Silva leading Mexico with two more victories, they beat Brazil in the quarterfinals only to fall to the favorites Dominican Republic in the semifinals, with Silva being defeated in her only match by Wu Xue, accounting a tied bronze medal.
Before the Olympics, Silva trained under the guidance of her Chinese coach Yin Kin at the PKU Gym in China's province Sichuan during 45 days. Both she and her coach targeted to reach the round of 16 in the singles events. She was one of the 83 competitors representing Mexico and the second table tennis player ever, after Guillermo Muñoz participation at the 1996 Olympics. The Croatian Andrea Bakula finished Silva's participation at the singles event of the Beijing Olympics with a 4–0 (12–10, 11–8, 11–2, 11–8) victory in just 26 minutes in the preliminary round. During the game, she tried to attack her right side, but her lefty and more experienced opponent attacked her backhand. Silva also confessed that she should have risked more.
In November she played the Central American Championship held in San Salvador, El Salvador, winning the silver medal in the singles event falling 4–2 (9–11, 8–11, 11–6, 10–11, 11–7, 3–11), to Salvadorian Morayle Álvarez, silver in women's double partnering Aurora Pequeño, bronze in team competition also with Aurora, and gold in mixed doubles with Jude Okoh. She also won the Great CONCATEME Cup, played as the closing of the tournament by the best-ranked players, after beating Salvadorian Estefania Ramirios 4–0 (11–8, 11–1, 11–8, 13–11) to win the cup and the $300 prize money.
She gave birth in May 2009 and did not play until the 2010 Latin American Championships.
2010 At the 2010 Latin American Championship held in March in Cancun, Mexico, Silva won the singles gold medal after defeat Brazilian Lígia Silva, 4–1 (9–11, 11–9, 11–5, 10–12, 16–14) and the silver in mixed doubles, playing with Jude Okoh, after falling to the Brazilian duo of Cazuo Matsumoto and Ligia Silva. With the Latin American Championship, she secured a place in the World Cup. Her trainer Lin Qing led her in a training camp in China before the Latin American Championship.
In the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships held in May in Moscow, Russia, Silva played with Laura Rosales, Sarah Rosas and Nancy Sánchez; Mexico lost 1–3 in the first round from the Dominican Republic, with Silva being defeated 1–3 by Johenny Valdez. In the second, Mexico beat 3–1 to Norway, and she lost 0–3 from Marthe Nilsen and defeating Marte Aasebo 3–2. Bosnia and Herzegovina lost 2–3 from Mexico, and Silva won her two matches 3–0 against Majda Prole and Emina Hadžiahmetović. Mexico beat Peru in the fourth round 3–0 with María Soto being defeated by Silva 3–0. Finally Mexico also beat Sri Lanka 3–0 with Srimali Wimalarathne falling to Silva. They finished in the third place in the K group of the Third Division. In the second stage Mexico started the 49–60 placement round with a 0–3 lost to Switzerland, with Silva's lost 3–0 to Rahel Aschwanden. Mexico then lost to Macao 1–3, with Silva's win 3–0 to Cheong Cheng I and 1–3 defeat by Ma Chao In. Finally Mexico placed 59, after defeating 3–1 to the Dominican Republic, Silva won 3–2 to Eva Brito and 3–2 to Johenny Valdez.
After a training camp in China with other four member of the Mexico National Team, she participated in July at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. With Laura Rosales, she played only one game in the Women's Doubles, being defeated by the Venezuela pair of Cruz Aguilar and Luisana Perez 2–3. She helped with two victories against El Salvador at the quarterfinals in the Women's Team event, but her team los 2–3. She played with Jude Okoh the Mixed doubles being defeated in the second round by the Dominican couple Wu Xue and Lin Ju 0–3 (5–11, 10–12 y 9–11). reaching the final after defeating Venezuelan Fabiola Ramos 4–0, but after losing the gold medal match 4–1 (9–11, 11–7, 11–7, 11–6 y 11–7) to the Dominican Republic representative Wu Xue.
In September, she took part in the World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as the Latin American representative. She had to play in the Intercontinental Cup to receive a berth to the group stage. Besides her loss to Yang Fen from Congo Brazzaville that prevent her to win the Cup and play the main draw, she defeated New Zealander Karen Li and Canadian Zhang Mo.
In November Silva received the Tabasco's State Sports Award () along with chess player Leopoldo Aguirre Manzo and seven-year-old golfer Ariel González Arceo. She previously stated that she would felt proud of winning the award.
2011 For starting the year, she ranked 237 in the ITTF rankings.
She played in March the Latin American Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in the Group stage she beat 4–1 both Brazilians Katia Kawai and Caroline Kumahara securing a spot in the quarterfinals. She beat Guatemalan Andrea Estrada 4–0 in the quarterfinals, and Brazilian Jessica Yamada (4–3) in the semifinal before being defeated by the Dominican Wu Xue 4–0 (11–9, 11–7, 11–3, 11–9) in the final game, receiving the silver medal.
In April she played the Spanish Open in Almeria, Spain and lost her three matches against South Korean Hyelin Lee 1–4, Danish Mie Skov 0–4, and Polish Antonina Szymanska 2–4 in the women's singles qualification groups. In the Doubles she partnered Guatemalan Andrea Estrada, they lost to Sarah de Nutte and Tessy Gonderinger from Luxemburg.