Javier Sotomayor

Javier Sotomayor, 2009

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria ( born October 13, 1967 in Limonar, Matanzas ) is a former Cuban high jumper. With an Olympic gold medal, two world titles outdoors and four World Championship titles in the hall Javier Sotomayor is the most successful and best high jumper in the history of athletics. His personal best of 2.45 meters (world record on July 23, 1993) and 2.43 meters in the hall ( world record on March 4, 1989) are the current world records in this discipline.

Career

Up to Olympic victory

1985 took place in Paris, the World Indoor Games were held, forerunner of the later World Indoor Championships. With 17 years was Javier Sotomayor Second, his 2.30 meters were surpassed only by Sweden Patrik Sjöberg with 2.32 meters. Sotomayor in 1986 with 2.25 meters in Athens Junior World Champion in front of the American Hollis Conway 2.22 meters was. At the World Indoor Championships in 1987 Sotomayor took 2.32 meters in fourth place. With 2.38 meters Igor Paklin won ahead Hennadij Awdjejenko, both from the Soviet Union. At the Pan American Games 1987 in Indianapolis Sotomayor won with 2.32 meters in front of Troy Kemp from the Bahamas with 2.28 meters. At the World Athletics Championships 1987 in Rome Sjöberg, Paklin and Awdjejenko jumped over 2.38 meters. Sotomayor was ninth with 2.29 meters.

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, the Cuban team did not appear to. In what form Sotomayor was, he proved on September 8, 1988 in Salamanca, when he improved the world record of Sjöberg by one centimeter to 2.43 meters. At the World Indoor Championships in 1989 in Budapest Sotomayor also improved the indoor world record to 2.43 meters and won before Sjöberg, the German Dietmar Mögenburg and the British Dalton Grant who all jumped 2.35 meters. In the Caribbean Championships Sotomayor improved on July 29, 1989 in San Juan (Puerto Rico) the outdoor world record of 2.44 meters.

At the World Indoor Championships in 1991 in Seville to Sotomayor the bronze medal with Alexei Jemelin from the Soviet Union informed skipped 2.31 ​​m behind Hollis Conway (2.40 m) and Poland Artur Partyka (2.37 m). The Pan American Games were held in the Cuban capital in 1991. Sotomayor won in Havana with 2.35 meters in front of Troy Kemp and Hollis Conway, who crossed 2.32 per meter. At the World Championships in Tokyo, the American Charles Austin won with 2.38 meters. Sotomayor won silver with 2.36 meters.

Javier Sotomayor was at the 1992 Olympics to the favorites, but in advance of some Springer good form had shown. In Barcelona overcame five jumpers in the final height of 2.34 meters, all attempts at 2.37 meters failed. Sotomayor was after the experiment More generally Olympic champion Patrik Sjoberg before. Partyka, Conway and the Australian Tim Forsyth won the same number of failures each bronze.

After the Olympic victory

1993 was the most successful year Javier Sotomayor. At the World Indoor Championships in Toronto, he won with 2.41 meters in front Sjöberg with 2.39 meters. On July 27, he improved in Salamanca the world record to 2.45 meters. And also at the World Championships in Stuttgart, he was superior. With 2.40 meters, he won before Partyka and the Briton Steve Smith, each 2.37 meters.

At the World Indoor Championships in Barcelona in 1995 Sotomayor won with 2.38 meters before the Greeks Lambros Papakostas with 2.35 meters. Also victorious, he was at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. With 2.40 meters, he jumped here eleven inches higher than the runner-up. At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg Troy Kemp and Sotomayor crossed each 2.37. Kemp had fewer failed attempts, winning gold against Sotomayor. 1996 Sotomayor was mostly injured. At the Olympic Games in Atlanta, he finished with 2.25 meters only to eleventh place. In Athens at the 1997 World Championships he won with 2.37 meters before Partyka and Forsyth.

Doping controversy

In 1999 he won in Maebashi his fourth world title in the hall. With 2.36 meters, he jumped as high as the second-placed Russian Vyacheslav Voronin. In Winnipeg at the Pan American Games, he won again. When drug test but cocaine was found, and he was disqualified.

Against this disqualification and the related lock protested the Cuban Association and obtained that the lock has been reduced to one year and Sotomayor was allowed to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games. With 2.32 meters, he won silver in Sydney behind the Russians Sergei Kljugin with 2.35 meters. At the World Indoor Championships in 2001 in Lisbon Sotomayor was fifth with 2.25 meters. Outdoors at the World Championships in Edmonton, he took fourth place; but this was denied him because of doping ( at a training control nandrolone was detected in the sample). The now mature lifetime suspension Sotomayor escaped by resigning from the sport in the fall of 2001.

Appreciation

Javier Sotomayor jumped in his career, 230 times over 2.30 meters and 2.40 meters and 21 times higher and higher. He is since 1988 the world record holder, longer than any other high jumper it was. He was eight times the world's annual Best: 1988, 1989, 1992-1995, 1997 and 1998; the next-best Springer in this category were four years of world best years.

Only in the number of established world records were two other vaulters successful: the American John Thomas with four official world records and the Russian Valeri Brumel with six official world records.

Personal

Javier Sotomayor is a trained physical education teachers. At a height of 1.93 meters his competition weight was 80 kg. Since 1989, he is married to María del Carmen García high jumper.

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