Javier Sotomayor

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ sotomaˈʝoɾ]; born 13 October 1967) is a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and is the current world record holder. His world record of 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) makes him the only person ever to have cleared eight feet (2.44 m). He cleared eight feet twice, the first time with 2.44 m in 1989. Sotomayor is a two-time gold medalist at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, and also won two silver medals at the competition. At the IAAF World Indoor Championships he won four gold medals between 1989 and 1999. In addition, he won three straight titles at the Pan American Games from 1987 to 1995, he was stripped for a fourth title in 1999 after testing positive for cocaine. At the Olympics, Cuban boycotts in 1984 and 1988 prevented him from competing, but he won gold in 1992, sat out in 1996 due to injury, and won silver in 2000. He retired in 2001 after testing positive for nandrolone, having avoided a lifetime ban that would normally follow a second positive drug test.

Personal life

Sotomayor was born in Limonar, Matanzas Province on 13 October 1967. 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 and by 19, he was ranked No. 5 in the world.

Sotomayor is engaged to Amaya González and has four sons. One of his sons, Javier Sotomayor García, has also competed in the high jump.