S P O R T S

Havana.  August 22, 2013

Javier Sotomayor: 25 years as world record holder

Oscar Sánchez Serra

HOW have you lived with the threat to your record of 2.45 meters?

“I haven’t lived with it, rather I have relived it, because for a long time nobody has attempted it. It was always threatened, above all when I was jumping, because then there were many athletes who could have reached it, and in fact tried to do so on various occasions.”

Who?

My rivals. Every time they jumped 2.40, they went for the 2.45. I repeat, they were excellent jumpers, I am talking about the Swede Patrick Sjoberg, U.S. Charles Austin, Rumanian Sorin Matey. German Carlo Thranhardt, who I lent my trainers, jumped 2.42 in the Indoor championships and said, “Now I have them on, raise me to 2.46,’ and he made his three attempts. He was a very combative jumper.

It is the so-called prince of the Heights, Cuban Javier Sotomayor, who is answering the questions. The world high-jump record holder, the human being to have reached the greatest heights with the impulse of his feet, the man who has jumped 2.40 meters the most times, talked with Granma after the Ukrainian Bohdan Bondarenko, for the third time, at the Moscow World Athletics Championships, rose above Sotomayor’s kingdom.

Of these three occasions, which was the closest?

Now, in the world championships in the Russian capital, in his second attempt (2.46). He took off strongly and succeeded, although he later failed to reach even higher.

Is it only Bondarenko, and no-one else who could dethrone the legendary height of 2.45 meters, equal to 8ft or a football goal.

Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim was very good, but yes, Bondarenko is currently the finest jumper in the world and he could exceed that height.

Did you think that the record would last 20 years?

No, because as I already told you, my adversaries were very strong and tried it many times. Moreover, from the very first day, I was convinced that someone would break it at some point. I was also convinced, since, aged 16, I jumped 2.33, a world juvenile record, that I would break the world record in the specialty. I first exceeded that record in 1984 and then by 2.36, the juvenile world record, before reaching the absolute.

When Bondarenko or someone else succeeds in beating your record, how will you remember the 2.45 meters?

On that day, I am definitely not going to feel good, I’m not going to enjoy it, that’s the truth. But the days will go by and I will once again accept that records are made to be broken. I will always remember them with great pride, because nobody can take that day away from me, as they couldn’t when I jumped 2.43 (September 8, 1988), my first world record; or the 2.44 (July 29, 1989), when I broke it. These numbers and the 2.45 (July 27, 1993), will remain with me for ever. I have been the world record holder for 25 years, since 1988, and 20 with the current supremacy. It is now that people realize what I did, how great it was. And these are motives for always recalling with great joy.

The records mentioned for which he won everything,  the Olympic, World, Pan American , Central American and the Caribbean titles, the Prince of the Asturias Prize on top, have only been attained by Sotomayor. Nobody has reached the 2.45 or the others.

Bondarenko renounced the 2.38, that was very daring, did you ever do that?

Yes, I renounced the 2.39 in a world indoor, because Patrick Sjoberg had jumped higher and I had no other option but to go for the 2.41 and I jumped it. When I did the 2.45, I went from 2.38, to that.

Did you try to jump 2.46?

A number of times, the Stuttgart world in 1993 was the first time and then, 1994 was when I most tried it, I think about nine attempts. Ever time I jumped 2.40 I tried it. Perhaps in Mar del Plata was the last time, during the 1995 Pan Americans. I didn’t take too long in beating the 2.43, but from 2.44 to 2.45 took me a long time.

Do you feel powerless not being able to defend this height? Does it make you feel like jumping when you see the challenge?

I’m 45 years old now, I see and analyze each situation with more maturity. At first, yes, it just didn’t fit into my head that I couldn’t jump a bar, but not now.

The bar has been jumped at 2.40 or more on 27 occasions, and 18 of these bear the signature of Javier Sotomayor, in open-air meets. This barrier has been broken indoors on 11 occasions, and Soto has done it the most, on four occasions, in addition to reigning supreme in indoor championships with 2.43. In other words, there have been 38 jumps indoors and outdoors at over 2.40 and 22 with Sotomayor as the pilot of his human airplane.

How did you see Cuban athletics in Moscow? When will we have another Sotomayor?

Not at all bad. Yes, I believe we could have had more finalists, the competitions were very strong. For example, in the long jump we took a bronze with 2.38; we couldn’t have won with that 10 years ago. Pichardo was great, also Silva in the pole-vault and Barrios in the discus throw, as well as Cisneros in the 400-meter hurdles. And in high jump, I think we are going to have a Sotomayor, but I don’t know when, I think the ones we have now could reach 2.35, but no higher, but yes, there will be another Sotomayor.