Javier Sotomayor Sanabria (born October 13, 1967 in Limonar, Cuba) - Cuban athlete specializing in high jump, current world record holder in this competition.
In 1984 he set the world record for juniors in Havana with a score of 2.33 m. He could not take part in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles due to a boycott of the competition by Cuba; he took 2nd place at the "Przyjaźń-84" competition in Moscow. In 1985 he won a silver medal at the first indoor world championships in Paris.
He won the 1986 World Junior Championships in Athens. He won a gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. At the world championship in Rome this year, he took 9th place. In 1988 he set the world record for the first time with a score of 2.43 in Salamanca. He did not take part in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul again due to Cuba's boycott of the Olympics. He won the gold medal at the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest (he set the then current indoor world record - 2.43 m) and at the 1989 Universiade in Duisburg. On July 29, 1989 he broke his world record in an open stadium to 2.44 meters (in San Juan, Puerto Rico). He was a bronze medalist of the 1991 world indoor championship in Seville and the runner-up at the 1991 world championship in Tokyo. He defended his title at the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana.
He won a gold medal at his first Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona. He also won the 1993 World Indoor Championships in Toronto and the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart. On July 27, 1993 in Salamanca, he set another (still valid) world record with the result of 2.45 m.
In 1995, Sotomayor won the World Indoor Championships in Barcelona and the Pan-American Games in Mar del Plata, and finished second at the World Championships in Gothenburg. The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta were unsuccessful for him - he took 11th place in the final.
He was gold medalist at the 1997 World Championships in Athens and the 1999 Indoor World Championships in Maebashi. In 1999, at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, he was caught using cocaine and disqualified for two years. The disqualification was later shortened and he was allowed to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he won a silver medal. He was initially fourth at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, but was later taken away from him when doping was found again. After disqualification, he ended his career.
