The young athlete Jaxier Sotomayor, son of the legendary high jumper Javier Sotomayor, set a personal record in Spain, surprising everyone and following in the footsteps of his father.
The athlete, only 16 years old, jumped over 2.01 meters at an athletics meeting held last Sunday, March 3, in Madrid, capital of the Iberian country.
That height, while far from his father’s world record (2.45 meters) set in 1993 also in Spain, reflects the potential of the young athlete, who, with proper training, could reach his father’s mark.
Journalist Milan Ruzic indicated that Sotomayor’s new personal record comes after countless hours of training. The young man’s best mark had been 1.99 meters during his participation in the Spanish Under-18 National Championship in 2023.
“He started doing athletics in Cuba and, like me, like everyone in Cuba, at this age they do various disciplines, and of that discipline, the best one that you do is the one in which you specialize. Thanks to that I was a jumper. And he, consequently, has followed the discipline. “You can’t fool the genes,” said the legendary jumper about his son in an interview for the Spanish newspaper The country.
Sotomayor, known as “The Prince of Heights,” had already managed to jump 2.30 meters when she began her career in the 1980s, so fans and experts cannot avoid comparisons with her son.
However, each athlete has his own pace, so it would not be a surprise to anyone if Jaxier can reach and surpass his father’s marks in a couple of years.
What there is no doubt about is that there is a great possibility that the young Sotomayor’s achievements will not be with the Cuban flag on his uniform, since he has dual nationality.
“We have dual nationality. Compete in Spain, but not for Spain, yet. Until you compete internationally, you still have a choice, and you haven’t chosen yet, no, no. You have more freedom to choose. At the moment, no, but soon he will have to decide,” said his father when asked about it.
It is important to remember that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) establishes a two-year sanction without being able to compete for those athletes who represent a country and then want to represent another nation, so, if The young man eventually chooses to compete for Spain, he will have to take some time without participating in international competitions.
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