Cuban · Limonar, Cuba · Born 13 October 1967Set the still-standing men's high jump WR of 2.45m.
Javier Sotomayor Sanabria was born on 13 October 1967 in Limonar, Matanzas, Cuba, and was initially scouted for his basketball potential before switching to the high jump at 14, quickly showing extraordinary natural talent for the event. Sotomayor set the junior world record of 2.33 metres at just 16 in 1984, and was prevented from competing at the Los Angeles Olympics that year by Cuba's Soviet-aligned boycott, though he continued to progress rapidly through international competition. Sotomayor became the first person in history to clear 8 feet, jumping 2.44 metres in 1989, and set the current world record of 2.45 metres in Salamanca, Spain, in 1993, a mark that remains unbroken over three decades later and stands as one of the longest-standing records in track and field history. Sotomayor won Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games and silver at Sydney 2000, but his later career was clouded by a suspension following a failed drug test in 1999. He retired in 2001, remaining widely regarded as the greatest high jumper the sport has ever produced.
High Jump
How They Played
Exceptional technique and natural jumping ability
Lasting Impact
Greatest high jumper in history, only man to jump over 8 feet
Career Honours
- 1992 Olympic gold high jump
- 1993,1997 World champ
- high jump WR
Cuban Athletes