The legendary high jumper Javier Sotomayor. Biography, set records, photo

Javier Sotomayor - world-famous high jumper. During his career, the Cuban has repeatedly set records, some of them are still unsurpassed. The champion's collection contains 8 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. Eight times he became the owner of the best indicator of the season in the world.

Short biography. Javier Sotomayor

October 13 athlete turned forty-nine years old, he was born in the province of Matanthas (Cuba) in a small town Limonar. His full name is Javier Sotomayor Sanabria. The growth of a black man is almost two meters (1 m 95 cm), weight - 82 kg. Javier Sotomayor is a Cuban jumper who has established not one world record in high jump.

Athletics career athlete began in 1981. When the boy was only 14 years old, he was able to achieve incredible success: a strong, well-developed boy with ease took a two-meter bar.

Debut entrance to the world stage

Javier Sotomayor in 1984 set his first record, breaking the height of 2 m 33 cm. To date, this indicator is the best in the world among athletes under 17 years old. In the summer of 1984, the Moscow games "Friendship" were held in Russia. International competitions in athletics were a kind of alternative to the Olympics. At that time, many countries declared boycotting the Olympic Games in America, so the Cuban jumper did not have the opportunity to get to Los Angeles. Within the limits of the Russian competitions jumps in height have been included also . Javier Sotomayor successfully performed in Moscow, winning a gold medal.

At the age of seventeen, he took part in the first world championships in a room in Paris. Then the athlete managed to become a silver medalist. He set a world record among boys, having conquered the bar with a height of 2 m 36 cm.

Sotomayor's achievements

In 20 years, the Cuban athlete became the champion of the Pan American Games in Indianapolis (USA).

In 1988, Javier Sotomayor misses the second opportunity to perform at the Olympics in Seoul, due to the boycott. But he participates in the competitions of Gran Premio Diputacion De Salamanca in Spain, in the city of Salamanca, which started on the eve of international games in South Korea. Here he beat his results for all 7 years of sports career. He was submitted to a height of 240 cm. The next jump was a record in the whole world: the Cuban athlete took the bar 2 m 43 cm.

Javier Sotomayor, a Cuban jumper, sought to improve his performance. And already at the athletics competitions in San Juan in 1989 proves to the whole world the ability to be the first. At games, he sets the next record for the planet (insurmountable for 27 years), jumping over the bar at a height of 2 m 44 cm. In the same year, Sotomayor Javier replenishes his collection of awards with a gold medal won at a competition in Budapest in an enclosed space. In 1989 he won the title of the champion of the Universiade.

The next victory of the Cuban jumper

At the age of 24, Sotomayor was a participant in the summer Pan-American Games in Havana, where he became the champion. Immediately after these competitions he went to Japan. Tokyo hosted the World Athletics Championships. In international competitions, Sotomayor Javier carried out a high jump with a score of 2.36 m, but his record was beaten by American Charles Austin (2.38 m). Therefore, the Cuban took second place.

And at the World Championships - 1991 in an enclosed space in Seville, Javier won a bronze medal. But in 1993 he became the winner of these competitions in Toronto. Then the athlete twice confirmed the title of champion: in 1995 in Barcelona and in 1999 in Maebashi. In 1993, speaking at regular competitions in the city of Salamanca, sets a world record. He obeyed the height of 2 m 45 cm. The amazing result is the best not only in the career of Javier, but also around the world among jumpers. Nobody can beat this record yet.

Victory in important competitions

In 25 years, the Cuban was finally able to participate in the Olympic Games, held in Barcelona. His cherished dream came true - he won gold with a result of 2 m 34 cm.
In 1993, Sotomayor Javier made his second appearance at the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart. And again victory is the first place in high jump. After two seasons he participates in the same international competitions for the third time and becomes the owner of the silver medal.

In the summer of 1994, Javier Sotomayor made his first appearance at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg (Russia) and won. The second time among athletes at this tournament appeared in 1998 in New York (USA) and also became a champion.

In 1996, Javier Sotomayor was unable to win a prize at the Summer Olympics in the US (Atlanta). He managed to take the 12th place among athletes in high jump. The interference was trauma. But a year later the Cuban completely restored his physical form and took part in the World Championships in Athens, where he earned a gold medal.

In 2000, the Cuban jumper again smiled luck at the Olympic Games in Sydney. He took the second place in high jump with the result of 2 m 32 cm, losing to Russian athlete Sergei Klyugin.

Scandal and the end of sports career

The Spaniards were so impressed by the record of Javier Sotomayor in Salamanca in 1993 that they decided to call the stadium where the Cuban spoke in his honor. But six years after the competition, the jumper was convicted of taking dope. At the Pan-American Games in the urine of the legendary athlete, traces of cocaine were found. A scandal broke out. First, Javier was deprived of the status of the winner of the Pan-American competitions, then disqualified for 2 years.

In 2001, the Cuban jumper announced his decision to quit the sport, and all because he was noticed again in the use of anabolic drugs. Another scandal athlete was to anything. After an unpleasant history, the administration of Salamanca insisted on changing the name of the stadium "Javier Sotomayor" to a new one. The Mayor of the city explained to the press that the Spaniards were ready to forgive the first error of the athlete, but repeating the history of doping is unacceptable.