Alexander MartÃnez
Alexander Martínez ( born August 23, 1977, Isla de la Juventud ) is a Swiss triple jumper from Cuba.
Martínez grew up in Cuba. He studied from 1997 to 2000 sports at the Universities of Isla de la Juventud and Havana. He also use intensive triple jump. In 1996, at the age of 19, he jumped for the first time over 16 meters.
In August 1999, he met in Cuba, the Swiss Marion know. The two fell in love, and Martínez decided in 2000 to come to Switzerland. The two married on 19 January 2001. During the same year, he jumped for the first time over 17 meters.
After his emigration he could not participate in any international championships more. On 22 February 2006 he was awarded Swiss citizenship, the launch permissions for the Switzerland of the International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF) was confirmed on March 22. He achieved both at the European Athletics Championships in 2006 as well as at the World Athletics Championships 2007 Top Ten ranking.
The next two years could Martinez injury no longer build on these achievements. In 2010 he qualified for the European Championships in Barcelona, retired from there but in qualifying.
Martínez is 1.81 m tall, weighs 81 kg and starts for the LC Zurich. He is a passionate salsa dancers, working alongside the sport as a dance teacher and athlete ambassador of development organization Right to Play.
Achievements
Personal best
- Triple Jump: 17,51 m, July 23, 2005 in Bern (5th Annual World leaderboard 2005)
- Triple jump (as Swiss ): 17,13 m, August 10, 2006 in Gothenburg, Swiss record