Limonar (Cuba), 1967
By Pablo Alabarces
At just fourteen years old, the Cuban teenager Javier Sotomayor Sanabria was clearing jumps of two meters, which led him to begin specific training for the high jump, moving to Havana with a scholarship from the School of Sports Improvement. In the capital, he came into contact with José Godoy, who would become his coach. In 1986, he became the junior world champion in Athens; the record he set at that time (2.36 meters) still stands. Although he did not participate in the 1988 Seoul Olympics due to Cuba’s boycott, a year later he showcased his talent, jumping 2.43 meters at the World Championships in Budapest and 2.44 meters in Puerto Rico. That same year, he surpassed 2.45 meters in Salamanca. He was the second black athlete to set a world record in high jump, after John Thomas (United States) in 1960, and the second Cuban athlete to achieve a world mark, after Alberto Juantorena (in the 400 meters, in 1976).
In 1990, Javier Sotomayor was forced to withdraw from competitions due to a foot injury, which allowed him to continue his studies in physical education. However, upon his return, he won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Championships held in Mexico. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he won the gold medal and later broke his own world record in Salamanca, with a jump of 2.45 m on his second attempt. Regarding Cuba, he declared, “There, we, the athletes, are privileged. I will never leave Cuba to not return. I love my homeland too much and, moreover, I am committed to helping it out of trouble.” He was named the best male athlete in the world in 1988 by the Spanish Association of Sports Press and the best male Cuban athlete and most outstanding Ibero-American athlete by the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.
After the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1999, a cocaine doping test on the athlete came back positive, and the International Olympic Committee requested that Cuba punish him. However, the country refused, claiming it was a conspiracy to tarnish the good name of Cuban sports.
