Madrid, March 25 (RHC) Cuban high-jump star Javier Sotomayor, now retired, said in Madrid that all sports achievements of his country are the result of the 1959 Revolution.
Due to the many shortages and for being a small island, I do not thin we wouldn´t have had such a high sports quality if our system had not been developed, said Sotomayor.
The Cuban former high jumper, who is in Spain to give a series of lectures, considered that Ukrainian Bogdan Bondarenko has more possibilities to surpassed his record better than Russian Ivan Ukhov, who has been near to do so over the past years.
“If I had to give a name I would say Bondarenko. Ukhov has been jumping over 2,38; 2,39 and 2,40 in Winter, but in Summer he is not doing great, I do not know what happens to him,” said Sotomayor.
He recalled his 10 jumps over 2,40 in 1994 and that same year he did not reach a world record even when he attempted eitht or nine times.
The Olympic Champ in Barcelona 1992, said that no record is easy to break, though not impossible either since an athlete only needs to be physically and mentally ready to do it. He noted that there are high jumpers who are not psychologically prepared for a record; the make good jumps but when the height increases by one or two centimeters they cannot make it.