Javier Sotomayor
Encyclopedia
Javier Sotomayor Sanabria (born 1967) is a Cuban
former track and field
athlete who specialized in the high jump
and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic
champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; he is the only person ever to have cleared 8 feet (2.44 meters). He is widely regarded as the best high jumper of all time. Cuban boycotts of the Olympics in 1984 and 1988 and an injury in 1996 cost him chances at additional Olympic medals, but he returned to win the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Sotomayor retired in 2001, pre-empting a lifetime ban for his second positive doping test (first for cocaine
, then for anabolic steroids).
, Matanzas Province
. The son of a day-care worker and a sugar factory maintenance man, Sotomayor was first sent to a Cuban sports school as a prospective basketball player because of his height. At age 14, coaches made him a high jumper. By 19, he was ranked No. 5 in the world.
He is 1.95 metres (6.4 ft) tall and is married to fellow Cuban high jumper Maria del Carmen Garcia. They have two children, both boys. Sotomayor listed his competition weight at 82 kilograms (181 pounds).
due to the boycott by Cuba (and most communist nations.) In 1985 he took silver in the World Indoor Championships in Paris, with a best jump of 2.30 metres on 19 January, and then improved his personal best two months later outdoors in Havana, with a jump of 2.34 on 20 March 1985. He continued to improve the following year with a best jump of 2.36 m at a meet in Santiago de Cuba on 23 February 1986. He won his first international title in 1987, at the Pan American Games, and established a new personal best of 2.37m (7 feet 9 1/2 inches) at a meet in Athens, Greece on 20 June 1987.
, Spain – just four days before the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics
– he set a world record of 2.43 metres (7 feet 11 and three-quarter inches). However, Sotomayor was again denied the chance to compete in the Olympics in Seoul
due to another Cuban boycott of the Olympics: only seven nations, most of them small and with poor economies, boycotted the 1988 games, including North Korea, Albania, Cuba and Ethiopia. Sotomayor's leap of 2.43 broke, by one centimeter, the record of 2.42 set the previous summer (30 June 1987) by Sweden's Patrik Sjöberg
in Stockholm.
, held in San Juan
and to the current record of 2.45m (8 feet and one-half inch) on Tuesday July 27, 1993 in Salamanca
. The July 1989 record of 2.44m, which he cleared on his second attempt, was a historic jump for Imperial-measure fans, as that was the first jump over 8 feet.
After setting the record at 2.44m in July 1989, Sotomayor became inconsistent the following year. He missed much of the 1990 outdoor season after surgery to remove scar tissue in his knee and heel. Competing before an adoring Cuban public at the Pan American Games in Havana on Saturday 10 August 1991, Sotomayor defeated his principal rival, American Hollis Conway, with a jump of 2.35m (7' 8 1/2"). He then thrilled the crowd by having the bar raised 10cm to a new world record of 2.45, but in each of his three attempts he jumped into the bar, striking it with his shoulders on the way up each time. Afterwards he said, "My physical condition is better, but psychologically I am not well prepared."
The 1993 record set at the Salamanca Invitational track meet was remarkable in that Sotomayor required only four jumps: he took his first jump at 2.32 metres (7.61 ft), passed at 2.35, cleared 2.38 metres (7.81 ft) on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to a record height of 2.45, which he missed on his first attempt and then succeeded on his second attempt, lightly brushing the bar. Videos of his record-setting leap show his unique, galloping approach with two elongated strides in the middle of his 14-step run, and a powerful left leg take-off as he pumps both of his arms: he begins his approach with three short steps, builds up speed, then takes exaggerated strides on steps 8 and 9, and then re-accelerates over his last five strides.
After setting the record in Salamanca, Sotomayor told reporters, "I wanted to set the record here because it is a small city in which I feel like I am in Cuba. The people recognize me in the street and ask how I'm doing, the children surround me and I find myself in a good mental state."
.
He broke the record during the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
, clearing 2.43 on his first attempt (and fifth jump overall). At this competition, Sotomayor was one of four men to clear 2.35, at which point he stood in third place, trailing Dietmar Mögenburg (Germany) and Dalton Grant (Great Britain) who each succeeded on their first attempts, while Sotomayor and Patrik Sjoberg (Sweden) each needed two tries. In Budapest, he took his first jump of the competition at 2.31 metres (7.58 ft), passed at 2.33, missed his initial try at 2.35 metres (7.71 ft) then cleared on his second attempt; made a huge first attempt clearance at 2.37 metres (7.78 ft); passed at 2.39; then had the bar raised for a record attempt at 2.43 metres (7.97 ft), clearing on his first try, just brushing the bar with the back of his thighs on the way down. Germany's Carlo Thranhardt
, who had set the indoor record of 2.42 one year earlier (26 February 1988) in Berlin, finished fifth at Budapest with a jump of 2.33.
at the 1992 Olympics
and then the silver medal
at the 2000 Olympics
(after the reversal of a drug suspension for drug
usage). Between the games he won the 1993
and 1997 World Championship
.
At the Barcelona Olympics
, Sotomayer won the high jump on the basis of his ability to jump "clean" (no misses) at the highest height. Five men cleared the winning height of 2.34 metres (7.68 ft), but Sotomayor was the only one to clear the bar on his first attempt. All five competitors then failed at the next height, 2.37. Jumping last in the round, Sotomayor failed on his first two attempts at 2.37. When everyone else missed on their third attempts, Sotomayor was assured of the gold medal and therefore passed up his third attempt, opting for one try at a record height of 2.39, which he missed. Sotomayor was declared the victor on the basis of the tie-breaker: Patrick Sjoberg (Sweden) and Artur Partyka (Poland) tied for the silver medal, each having cleared 2.34 on their second attempts, while Tim Forsyth (Australia) and Hollis Conway (USA) tied for the bronze medal.
The last time he would clear 2.40 meters was on 25 March 1995 at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. A healthy Sotomayor attempted to defend his title at the 1995 World Championships, held in Goteborg, Sweden. He cleared the winning height of 2.37 metres (7.78 ft) on 8 August, but finished second to Troy Kemp (Bahamas) on the basis of missed jumps. Partyka finished third, at 2.35.
At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece, Sotomayor again won the gold medal on 6 August, defeating Partyka with a 1997 world-leading jump of 2.37m (on his second attempt), to the Partyka's 2.35m (his best of the season to that date.)
he attempted to defend his Olympic title in Atlanta. He successfully qualified for the finals with a jump of 2.28 on Friday, but in the finals on Sunday July 28, he could manage only his opening jump of 2.25 metres (7.38 ft), clearing on his first attempt. He then "passed" at the next height 2.29 metres (7.51 ft), and then failed in all three of his attempts at 2.32 (7' 7 1/4"). His 2.25 clearance left him in equal 11th position. This was a full 10cm (4 inches) short of what was required to medal at Atlanta
: American Charles Austin won the gold medal, breaking the Olympic record with a leap of 2.39 metres (7.84 ft).
Sotomayor underwent treatment for knee and heel injuries after his poor showing in the Atlanta Olympics and skipped the 1997 indoor season. He began training in Puerto Rico in spring 1997 for the outdoor season, but Cuban sports officials announced on 30 May 1997 that although Sotomayor was "in good form", he was withdrawing from the season's first big meet in Toronto and would instead make his season debut the following week at a track meet in France.
in Sydney despite his two-year drug suspension from 1999. His suspension was upheld in June 2000, but in August the IAAF cut the penalty in half – effectively to time served – and allowed him to compete at Sydney at the age of 32. The finals of the men's high jump were held on Sunday September 24, in rainy, windy conditions which worsened as the event progressed. The wet surface greatly impacted the results. Seven men cleared 2.32 metres (7.61 ft) before the light rain began to worsen, and Russian Sergey Klyugin was the only jumper able to clear the next height, 2.35 metres (7.71 ft), doing so before the rain and wind peaked. Sotomayor was awarded silver on the count-back, having taken only two jumps with no misses (at 2.25 metres (7.38 ft) and 2.32): all other competitors had at least one failed attempt. The favorite to win the competition, Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia) managed to clear only 2.29 metres (7.51 ft) in the rain, after having cleared 2.4 metres (7.87 ft) one month before. Another medal favorite, Stefan Holm (Sweden), finished fourth and complained that the IAAF should not have reduced Sotomayor's two-year suspension.
in Mar del Plata
, Argentina
. No one has jumped higher since, although three men equaled the mark.
During his career, Sotomayor was ranked by Track & Field News in the "Top 10" in the men's high jump in ten different years, and was ranked #1 eight of those ten years: in 1988, 89, 1992, 93, 94, 95, 97 and 1998. By comparison, the jumper with second-most #1 rankings over a career is Russian Valeriy Brumel
in five consecutive years (1961–65). For his career Sotomayor accummulated 123 ranking points, while the jumper with the second-most career points, American Dwight Stones
has 90 points and four consecutive #1 rankings (1973–76.)
's year-old record of 2.42 in mind – Sotomayor decided to pass at 2.39 and had the bar raised to record height, 2.43, which he also cleared on his first attempt.
In addition to his speed, Sotomayor's height was also an advantage. Standing 1.95m (6ft 5in), his record jump of 2.45 is exactly 50 centimetres (19 3/4 inches) over his head. Some sources list the Cuban's height as 1.93m (6ft 4 3/4in), which yields a height differential of 52cm (20 1/2in): more than a dozen smaller men have jumped 20 inches above their heads, including Franklin Jacobs
and Stefan Holm
.
, which Cuban president Fidel Castro
claimed was a set-up by the Cuban-American Mafia. Sotomayor claimed his innocence. After months of hearings, an IAAF arbitration panel upheld the two-year ban on June 27, 2000. The Cuban federation continued to appeal his case, citing a clause in the IAAF rulebook that allows drug bans to be modified under "exceptional circumstances". In a controversial decision announced on August 2, the IAAF shortened the suspension to one year – which had elapsed on July 30 – thereby allowing him to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics
. IAAF's motivation for this action was that Sotomayor had done a great deal for the sport, had passed hundreds of drug tests during his long career, and acted exemplarily throughout. Two weeks after his suspension was lifted, Sotomayor returned to competition at a small track meet in Montauban, France, which he won with a jump of 2.28 metres (7.48 ft). Four days later he won a Golden League meet held in Monaco
by clearing 2.3 metres (7.55 ft). Interviewed on French television immediately after his victory, Sotomayor said: "I was not fantastic today. I was very tired because I have been practicing a lot, and I also have a new baby since July, which is another reason why I'm a little tired. But I should be able to clear 2.36 or 2.37 at the Olympics. I just hope nobody else does 2.40."
, this time for the anabolic steroid
nandrolone
. He avoided a lifetime ban that would normally follow a second positive test. This second test disqualified his fourth-place finish in his last World Championship. Once again, Sotomayor claimed he was innocent and that mistakes had been made during the handling of his doping test.
These allegations never gained strong support in his home country Cuba, although former IAAF Vice President and Doping Commission Chairman Arne Ljungqvist
asserted these were both "crystal clear cases" in a Swedish interview.
In a February 2004 interview for Cuban news, Sotomayor said that injury had forced his retirement, not the doping scandal. An Achilles tendon
problem hampered his performance, he said, and reduced his run-up from nine steps to seven and then just five.
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
former track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specialized in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; he is the only person ever to have cleared 8 feet (2.44 meters). He is widely regarded as the best high jumper of all time. Cuban boycotts of the Olympics in 1984 and 1988 and an injury in 1996 cost him chances at additional Olympic medals, but he returned to win the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Sotomayor retired in 2001, pre-empting a lifetime ban for his second positive doping test (first for cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, then for anabolic steroids).
Personal life
Sotomayor was born October 13, 1967 in LimonarLimonar, Cuba
Limonar is a municipality and city in the Matanzas Province of Cuba.The municipality is divided into the barrios of Canímar, Guamacaro, Caoba, Sumidero, Coliseo and San Miguel....
, Matanzas Province
Matanzas Province
Matanzas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas...
. The son of a day-care worker and a sugar factory maintenance man, Sotomayor was first sent to a Cuban sports school as a prospective basketball player because of his height. At age 14, coaches made him a high jumper. By 19, he was ranked No. 5 in the world.
He is 1.95 metres (6.4 ft) tall and is married to fellow Cuban high jumper Maria del Carmen Garcia. They have two children, both boys. Sotomayor listed his competition weight at 82 kilograms (181 pounds).
World Junior Record in 1984
Sotomayor was only 15 when he first cleared 2 meters (6' 6 3/4") and by the end of 1983 he had a best of 2.15 m. He then set the junior world record on 19 May 1984 by clearing 2.33 metres (7 feet 7 3/4 inches) at a meet held in Havana. He was not able to go to Los Angeles, California for the 1984 Olympics1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
due to the boycott by Cuba (and most communist nations.) In 1985 he took silver in the World Indoor Championships in Paris, with a best jump of 2.30 metres on 19 January, and then improved his personal best two months later outdoors in Havana, with a jump of 2.34 on 20 March 1985. He continued to improve the following year with a best jump of 2.36 m at a meet in Santiago de Cuba on 23 February 1986. He won his first international title in 1987, at the Pan American Games, and established a new personal best of 2.37m (7 feet 9 1/2 inches) at a meet in Athens, Greece on 20 June 1987.
First World Record 1988
On 8 September 1988, at a meet held in SalamancaSalamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, Spain – just four days before the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
– he set a world record of 2.43 metres (7 feet 11 and three-quarter inches). However, Sotomayor was again denied the chance to compete in the Olympics in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
due to another Cuban boycott of the Olympics: only seven nations, most of them small and with poor economies, boycotted the 1988 games, including North Korea, Albania, Cuba and Ethiopia. Sotomayor's leap of 2.43 broke, by one centimeter, the record of 2.42 set the previous summer (30 June 1987) by Sweden's Patrik Sjöberg
Patrik Sjöberg
Jan Niklas Patrik Sjöberg is a former Swedish high jumper and previous world record holder. With , he holds the Swedish as well as the European record in men's high jump...
in Stockholm.
Raises Record in 1989 and Again in 1993
Sotomayor twice increased the world record, to 2.44 meters (8 feet) on July 29, 1989 in the Central American and Caribbean Championships1989 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 1989 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
, held in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and to the current record of 2.45m (8 feet and one-half inch) on Tuesday July 27, 1993 in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
. The July 1989 record of 2.44m, which he cleared on his second attempt, was a historic jump for Imperial-measure fans, as that was the first jump over 8 feet.
After setting the record at 2.44m in July 1989, Sotomayor became inconsistent the following year. He missed much of the 1990 outdoor season after surgery to remove scar tissue in his knee and heel. Competing before an adoring Cuban public at the Pan American Games in Havana on Saturday 10 August 1991, Sotomayor defeated his principal rival, American Hollis Conway, with a jump of 2.35m (7' 8 1/2"). He then thrilled the crowd by having the bar raised 10cm to a new world record of 2.45, but in each of his three attempts he jumped into the bar, striking it with his shoulders on the way up each time. Afterwards he said, "My physical condition is better, but psychologically I am not well prepared."
The 1993 record set at the Salamanca Invitational track meet was remarkable in that Sotomayor required only four jumps: he took his first jump at 2.32 metres (7.61 ft), passed at 2.35, cleared 2.38 metres (7.81 ft) on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to a record height of 2.45, which he missed on his first attempt and then succeeded on his second attempt, lightly brushing the bar. Videos of his record-setting leap show his unique, galloping approach with two elongated strides in the middle of his 14-step run, and a powerful left leg take-off as he pumps both of his arms: he begins his approach with three short steps, builds up speed, then takes exaggerated strides on steps 8 and 9, and then re-accelerates over his last five strides.
After setting the record in Salamanca, Sotomayor told reporters, "I wanted to set the record here because it is a small city in which I feel like I am in Cuba. The people recognize me in the street and ask how I'm doing, the children surround me and I find myself in a good mental state."
Established New Indoor World Record in 1989
Sotomayor set the current world indoor record of 2.43 metres (7.97 ft) on March 4, 1989 in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
He broke the record during the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2nd IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Budapest Sportcsarnok in Budapest, Hungary from March 3 to March 5, 1989. There were a total number of 373 participating athletes from 62 countries.-Men:1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993...
, clearing 2.43 on his first attempt (and fifth jump overall). At this competition, Sotomayor was one of four men to clear 2.35, at which point he stood in third place, trailing Dietmar Mögenburg (Germany) and Dalton Grant (Great Britain) who each succeeded on their first attempts, while Sotomayor and Patrik Sjoberg (Sweden) each needed two tries. In Budapest, he took his first jump of the competition at 2.31 metres (7.58 ft), passed at 2.33, missed his initial try at 2.35 metres (7.71 ft) then cleared on his second attempt; made a huge first attempt clearance at 2.37 metres (7.78 ft); passed at 2.39; then had the bar raised for a record attempt at 2.43 metres (7.97 ft), clearing on his first try, just brushing the bar with the back of his thighs on the way down. Germany's Carlo Thranhardt
Carlo Thränhardt
Carlo Thränhardt is a former German high jumper, who won the silver medal at the 1981 European Indoor Championships in Grenoble. He excelled at indoor competitions, setting the world indoor record on three occasions between 1984-88...
, who had set the indoor record of 2.42 one year earlier (26 February 1988) in Berlin, finished fifth at Budapest with a jump of 2.33.
Olympic Champion in 1992
When he was finally able to compete in the Summer Olympics he won the gold medalGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
and then the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2000 Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
(after the reversal of a drug suspension for drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
usage). Between the games he won the 1993
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
and 1997 World Championship
1997 World Championships in Athletics
The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...
.
At the Barcelona Olympics
Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump
These are the official results of the Men's High Jump event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 43 participating athletes...
, Sotomayer won the high jump on the basis of his ability to jump "clean" (no misses) at the highest height. Five men cleared the winning height of 2.34 metres (7.68 ft), but Sotomayor was the only one to clear the bar on his first attempt. All five competitors then failed at the next height, 2.37. Jumping last in the round, Sotomayor failed on his first two attempts at 2.37. When everyone else missed on their third attempts, Sotomayor was assured of the gold medal and therefore passed up his third attempt, opting for one try at a record height of 2.39, which he missed. Sotomayor was declared the victor on the basis of the tie-breaker: Patrick Sjoberg (Sweden) and Artur Partyka (Poland) tied for the silver medal, each having cleared 2.34 on their second attempts, while Tim Forsyth (Australia) and Hollis Conway (USA) tied for the bronze medal.
Indoor and Outdoor World Champion in 1993
Less than one month after setting the world record of 2.45m at Salamanca (on 27 July), Sotomayor won the 1993 World Championships held at Stuttgart, Germany on 22 August. He outjumped the competition, establishing a new World Championships record of 2.4 metres (7.87 ft): the second-place jumper, Artur Partyka (Poland) jumped 2.37.The last time he would clear 2.40 meters was on 25 March 1995 at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. A healthy Sotomayor attempted to defend his title at the 1995 World Championships, held in Goteborg, Sweden. He cleared the winning height of 2.37 metres (7.78 ft) on 8 August, but finished second to Troy Kemp (Bahamas) on the basis of missed jumps. Partyka finished third, at 2.35.
At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece, Sotomayor again won the gold medal on 6 August, defeating Partyka with a 1997 world-leading jump of 2.37m (on his second attempt), to the Partyka's 2.35m (his best of the season to that date.)
1996 outdoor season
Sotomayor had a good start to 1996 during the indoor season, but was plagued by injury during the outdoor season. At the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
he attempted to defend his Olympic title in Atlanta. He successfully qualified for the finals with a jump of 2.28 on Friday, but in the finals on Sunday July 28, he could manage only his opening jump of 2.25 metres (7.38 ft), clearing on his first attempt. He then "passed" at the next height 2.29 metres (7.51 ft), and then failed in all three of his attempts at 2.32 (7' 7 1/4"). His 2.25 clearance left him in equal 11th position. This was a full 10cm (4 inches) short of what was required to medal at Atlanta
Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump
These are the official results of the men's high jump event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were a total number of 38 competitors, with one non-starter.-Medalists:-Records:...
: American Charles Austin won the gold medal, breaking the Olympic record with a leap of 2.39 metres (7.84 ft).
Sotomayor underwent treatment for knee and heel injuries after his poor showing in the Atlanta Olympics and skipped the 1997 indoor season. He began training in Puerto Rico in spring 1997 for the outdoor season, but Cuban sports officials announced on 30 May 1997 that although Sotomayor was "in good form", he was withdrawing from the season's first big meet in Toronto and would instead make his season debut the following week at a track meet in France.
1999 Pan American Games
Sotomayor won the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, held in Winnipeg. Just a few days after his victory, Games officials announced that his urine test tested positive for an illegal drug, cocaine (a stimulant), and on 4 August he was stripped of his medal and was sent home to Cuba in disgrace. At the time, this was widely regarded as the biggest drug scandal in the sport of track and field in over a decade (since Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics). In 1999 Sotomayor was a national celebrity, a well-known anti-drug crusader and the pride of Cuba's sports system. Mario Granda, Cuba's chief of sports medicine, reacted to the shocking news by saying the 31-year old Sotomayor had "passed more than 60 drug tests" in his career and suggested that Sotomayor was the victim of sabotage.2000 Olympics in Sydney
Sotomayor was allowed to participate in the 2000 Summer OlympicsAthletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
in Sydney despite his two-year drug suspension from 1999. His suspension was upheld in June 2000, but in August the IAAF cut the penalty in half – effectively to time served – and allowed him to compete at Sydney at the age of 32. The finals of the men's high jump were held on Sunday September 24, in rainy, windy conditions which worsened as the event progressed. The wet surface greatly impacted the results. Seven men cleared 2.32 metres (7.61 ft) before the light rain began to worsen, and Russian Sergey Klyugin was the only jumper able to clear the next height, 2.35 metres (7.71 ft), doing so before the rain and wind peaked. Sotomayor was awarded silver on the count-back, having taken only two jumps with no misses (at 2.25 metres (7.38 ft) and 2.32): all other competitors had at least one failed attempt. The favorite to win the competition, Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia) managed to clear only 2.29 metres (7.51 ft) in the rain, after having cleared 2.4 metres (7.87 ft) one month before. Another medal favorite, Stefan Holm (Sweden), finished fourth and complained that the IAAF should not have reduced Sotomayor's two-year suspension.
Dominating career
Sotomayor has a rare dominance in the history of this event. Of the 24 all-time best high jumps, 17 are his. Only 11 men in history have jumped 2.40 meters (or higher), and only three of them have done it more than once: Carlo Thränhardt did it twice (both indoors, 16 JAN 1987 and 26 FEB 1988), Patrik Sjöberg did four times (three times in 1987 and once in August 1989), and Sotomayor did it 24 times (in 21 different competitions between September 1988 – March 1995). He is the only person to have cleared 2.44m (8 ft) (which he did twice). Following his world record in September 1993, he had his greatest year in 1994, when he (again) was the only jumper to scale 2.40m or better, doing so ten times that year: two during the indoor season in February, and seven times outdoors, starting at Seville on 5 June 1994, where he cleared 2.40 before recording the year's best jump of 2.42 metres (7.94 ft). Besides dominating the event on the Grand Prix circuit, Sotomayor recorded wins at the Goodwill Games in St Petersburg on 29 July, and at the World Cup in London on 11 September, where his best jump of 2.40m was a record 12 centimeters above the next-best performance. The last time he would clear 2.40 meters was on March 25, 1995 at the Pan American GamesPan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
in Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. No one has jumped higher since, although three men equaled the mark.
During his career, Sotomayor was ranked by Track & Field News in the "Top 10" in the men's high jump in ten different years, and was ranked #1 eight of those ten years: in 1988, 89, 1992, 93, 94, 95, 97 and 1998. By comparison, the jumper with second-most #1 rankings over a career is Russian Valeriy Brumel
Valeriy Brumel
Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel , 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003) was a Soviet Olympic athlete. The 1964 Olympic champion in the Men's High Jump, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the High Jump, second only to current world record holder Javier Sotomayor of...
in five consecutive years (1961–65). For his career Sotomayor accummulated 123 ranking points, while the jumper with the second-most career points, American Dwight Stones
Dwight Stones
Dwight Edwin Stones is an American television commentator and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former three-time world record holder in the men's high jump. During his 16-year career, he won 19 national championships. In 1984, Stones became the first athlete to both compete and announce at...
has 90 points and four consecutive #1 rankings (1973–76.)
Technique
The Fosbury Flop style relies on speed, more specifically a jumper's ability to sustain his or her acceleration over the last few strides. Sotomayor was deceptively fast for a tall man. Another key to his record-breaking ability was his confidence to get to record heights quickly, taking only four or five jumps at lower heights. His 1989 indoor record was achieved astonishingly fast: Sotomayor did not even take his first jump until the bar was at 2.31 (7ft 7in); no one in history had ever begun ("opened") competition at such a height. He then passed at 2.33, but required two tries to clear 2.35; he then flew over 2.37 on his first jump and – with Carlo ThranhardtCarlo Thränhardt
Carlo Thränhardt is a former German high jumper, who won the silver medal at the 1981 European Indoor Championships in Grenoble. He excelled at indoor competitions, setting the world indoor record on three occasions between 1984-88...
's year-old record of 2.42 in mind – Sotomayor decided to pass at 2.39 and had the bar raised to record height, 2.43, which he also cleared on his first attempt.
In addition to his speed, Sotomayor's height was also an advantage. Standing 1.95m (6ft 5in), his record jump of 2.45 is exactly 50 centimetres (19 3/4 inches) over his head. Some sources list the Cuban's height as 1.93m (6ft 4 3/4in), which yields a height differential of 52cm (20 1/2in): more than a dozen smaller men have jumped 20 inches above their heads, including Franklin Jacobs
Franklin Jacobs
Franklin Jacobs is a former high jumper from the United States. His personal best of was a world indoor record in 1978, and at above Jacobs' own height of , it remains the record for height differential, now held jointly with Stefan Holm, and the record for jump at highest rate of one's...
and Stefan Holm
Stefan Holm
Stefan Christian Holm is a retired Swedish high jumper. He has won an Olympic gold medal, a silver in the World Championships, and one silver and one bronze medal in the European Championships...
.
Drug tests
Sotomayor tested positively for cocaine at the 1999 Pan American Games1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...
, which Cuban president Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
claimed was a set-up by the Cuban-American Mafia. Sotomayor claimed his innocence. After months of hearings, an IAAF arbitration panel upheld the two-year ban on June 27, 2000. The Cuban federation continued to appeal his case, citing a clause in the IAAF rulebook that allows drug bans to be modified under "exceptional circumstances". In a controversial decision announced on August 2, the IAAF shortened the suspension to one year – which had elapsed on July 30 – thereby allowing him to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. IAAF's motivation for this action was that Sotomayor had done a great deal for the sport, had passed hundreds of drug tests during his long career, and acted exemplarily throughout. Two weeks after his suspension was lifted, Sotomayor returned to competition at a small track meet in Montauban, France, which he won with a jump of 2.28 metres (7.48 ft). Four days later he won a Golden League meet held in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
by clearing 2.3 metres (7.55 ft). Interviewed on French television immediately after his victory, Sotomayor said: "I was not fantastic today. I was very tired because I have been practicing a lot, and I also have a new baby since July, which is another reason why I'm a little tired. But I should be able to clear 2.36 or 2.37 at the Olympics. I just hope nobody else does 2.40."
End of career
In September 2001, Sotomayor announced that he would end his career, following yet another positive drug test during a training camp in JuneJune 2001
June 2001: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-June 1, 2001:* The popular Bratz, rival to the Barbie doll, debuts....
, this time for the anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
. He avoided a lifetime ban that would normally follow a second positive test. This second test disqualified his fourth-place finish in his last World Championship. Once again, Sotomayor claimed he was innocent and that mistakes had been made during the handling of his doping test.
These allegations never gained strong support in his home country Cuba, although former IAAF Vice President and Doping Commission Chairman Arne Ljungqvist
Arne Ljungqvist
Arne Gunnar Gunnarsson Ljungqvist, born April 23, 1931 in Stockholm is a Swedish medical researcher and sports personality. Ljungqvist is a member of the International Olympic Committee , chairman of IOC's Medical Commission, and vice chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency .- Biography :In his...
asserted these were both "crystal clear cases" in a Swedish interview.
In a February 2004 interview for Cuban news, Sotomayor said that injury had forced his retirement, not the doping scandal. An Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
problem hampered his performance, he said, and reduced his run-up from nine steps to seven and then just five.
External links
- http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/ing/04/premiados/trayectorias/trayectoria589.html
- http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y99/ago99/09o9.htm
- world-class high jumper Stefan Holm's "High Jump" website, see "High Jump"/"240 Club" for list of all jumps above 2.40 meters