Javier Sotomayor

Javier Sotomayor is a Cuban high jumper who set the men’s outdoor world record of 2.45 metres in 1993, a mark that remains unbeaten.

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1993 Salamanca high jump: The competition in Salamanca, Spain, where Javier Sotomayor cleared 2.45 metres on 27 July 1993. This jump set the outdoor world record that defines Sotomayor’s career.
High jump: A track-and-field event in which athletes jump over a horizontal bar without dislodging it. Sotomayor’s record is the highest ratified mark in this event’s outdoor history.
José Godoy: A Cuban athletics coach associated with Javier Sotomayor’s development as a high jumper. Godoy coached Sotomayor through the technical development behind his record career.
Men’s high jump world record: The officially ratified best performance in the men’s high jump, tracked separately indoors and outdoors. Sotomayor’s 2.45-metre outdoor mark has remained the event’s world record.
1992 Barcelona Olympics: The Summer Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Spain, from 25 July to 9 August 1992. Sotomayor won the high jump there after missing the 1988 Games because of Cuba’s boycott.
Fosbury Flop: A high-jump technique in which an athlete clears the bar backward, headfirst, and lands on the back. Sotomayor used this technique to clear record heights efficiently.
Pat Matzdorf: An American high jumper who held the men’s world record at 2.29 metres in 1971. Matzdorf’s record shows the earlier benchmark Sotomayor later surpassed by 16 centimetres.
Doping in athletics: The use of prohibited substances or methods to enhance performance in track and field. Sotomayor’s 1999 positive test became a major controversy in his career.
1996 Atlanta Olympics: The Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, United States, from 19 July to 4 August 1996. Sotomayor’s silver medal there was his second Olympic medal.
Takeoff: The phase of a jump in which an athlete plants a foot and converts approach speed into upward motion. Sotomayor’s speed and takeoff helped generate the height needed for 2.45 metres.