View source for Javier Sotomayor

{{Short description|Cuban high jumper (born 1967)}}
{{family name hatnote|Sotomayor|Sanabria|lang=Spanish}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Javier Sotomayor
| image          = Javier Sotomayor 2009.jpg
| image_size     = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.-->
| caption        = Sotomayor in 2009
| full_name      = Javier Sotomayor Sanabria<ref name="sports-reference"/>
| residence      = 
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1967|10|13|df=y}}<ref name="sports-reference"/>
| birth_place    = [[Limonar]], Cuba<ref name="sports-reference"/>
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 1.93 m<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Javier Sotomayor |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/so/javier-sotomayor-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204002644/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/so/javier-sotomayor-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 December 2016 |accessdate=2 April 2023}}</ref>
| weight         = 80 kg<ref name="sports-reference"/>
| sport          = [[Track and field]]
| event          = [[High jump]]
| pb             = 
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country |{{CUB}}}}
{{MedalCount
|[[Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|1|1|0
|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]|2|2|0
|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]|4|1|1
|[[Pan American Games]]|3|0|0
|[[Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|CAC Championships]]|2|0|1
|'''Total'''|'''12'''|'''4'''|'''2'''
}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993 Stuttgart]]|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics - Men's High Jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]] |[[1997 World Championships in Athletics - Men's High Jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics|1991 Tokyo]]|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics - Men's High Jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|1995 Gothenburg]]|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics - Men's High Jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1989 Budapest]]|[[1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1993 Toronto]]|[[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1995 Barcelona]]|[[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1999 Maebashi]]|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|1985 Paris]]| [[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze |[[1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1991 Seville]]|[[1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Goodwill Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 Goodwill Games|1994 Saint Petersburg]] | [[Athletics at the 1994 Goodwill Games|High jump&nbsp;]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1998 Goodwill Games|1998 New York]] | [[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games|High jump&nbsp;]] }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1987 Pan American Games|1987 Indianapolis]] | [[Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1991 Pan American Games|1991 Havana]] | [[Athletics at the 1991 Pan American Games|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]] | [[Athletics at the 1995 Pan American Games|High jump]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Friendship Games]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[Athletics at the Friendship Games|1984 Moscow]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Central American and Caribbean Championships|CAC Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1985 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|1985 Nassau]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1989 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|1989 San Juan]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1983 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|1983 Havana]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Universiade]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1989 Summer Universiade|1989 Duisburg]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Pan American Junior Athletics Championships|Pan American Junior Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1986 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships|1986 Winter Park]] | High jump}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|CAC Junior Championships]] (U20)}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1986 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|1986 Mexico City]] | High jump}}
| show-medals    = 
}}

'''Javier Sotomayor Sanabria''' ({{IPA|es|xaˈβjeɾ sotomaˈʝoɾ}}; born 13 October 1967) is a Cuban former [[track and field]] athlete who specialized in the [[high jump]] and is the current [[Men's high jump world record progression|world record]] holder.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=CUB/athcode=2718/index.html |title=Javier Sotomayor |website=IAAF.org |access-date=2008-09-05 |archive-date=2012-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026105809/http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=cub/athcode=2718/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympic]] gold medalist, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s;{{cn|date=November 2025}} his world record of {{T&Fcalc|2.45}} makes him the only person ever to have cleared {{convert|8|ft|m|spell=in|2}}.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Highest high jump (male) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/highest-high-jump-(male) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424083044/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/highest-high-jump-(male) |archive-date=24 April 2024 |access-date=2025-09-26 |work=Guinness World Records |language=en-GB |url-status=live }}</ref> He cleared eight feet twice, the first time with 2.44&nbsp;m in 1989.

Sotomayor is a two-time [[gold medal|gold meda]]list at the [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics]], and also won two [[silver medal]]s at the competition. At the [[IAAF World Indoor Championships]] he won four gold medals between 1989 and 1999. In addition, he won three straight titles at the [[Pan American Games]] from 1987 to 1995. He is regarded as the best high jumper of all time. After Cuban boycotts of the Olympics in 1984 and 1988 and an injury in 1996 cost him chances at additional [[Olympic medal]]s, he won the [[silver medal]] at the [[2000 Olympics]] in Sydney.<ref name="sports-reference"/> He retired in 2001.

==Personal life==
Sotomayor was born in [[Limonar, Matanzas Province]] on 13 October 1967. The son of a day-care worker and a [[Sugar refinery|sugar factory]] maintenance man, Sotomayor was first sent to a Cuban sports school as a prospective [[basketball]] player because of his height. At age 14, coaches made him a high jumper and by 19, he was ranked No. 5 in the world.<ref>''CubaNet&nbsp;– Cuba News'', from the ''Miami Herald'' published Thursday 5 August 1999; [http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y99/ago99/05e3.htm "Cuban athlete stripped of medal after drug test"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320022403/http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y99/ago99/05e3.htm|date=2012-03-20}}; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref>

Sotomayor is engaged to Amaya González and has four sons.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} One of his sons, Javier Sotomayor García, has also competed in the high jump.<ref>[http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2009/01/30/i186683_sotomayor-hijo-sigue-pap.html Sotomayor hijo sigue "a su papá"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924042736/http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2009/01/30/i186683_sotomayor-hijo-sigue-pap.html |date=2014-09-24 }}. ''Diario Libre'' (2009-01-30). Retrieved on 2014-05-25.</ref>

==Early career==
===World junior record in 1984===
Sotomayor was only 14 when he first cleared 2 metres and by the end of 1983 he had a best of {{T&Fcalc|2.15}}. He then set the junior world record on 19 May 1984 by clearing {{T&Fcalc|2.33}} at a meet held in [[Havana]]. He was not able to go to [[Los Angeles]] for the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]] due to the boycott by Cuba (and most communist nations). In 1985 he took silver in the [[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|World Indoor Championships in Paris]], with a best jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.30}} on 19 January, and then improved his personal best two months later outdoors in Havana, with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.34}} on 20 March 1985. He continued to improve the following year with a best jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.36}} at a meet in [[Santiago de Cuba]] on 23 February 1986. He won his first international title in 1987, at the [[Pan American Games]], and established a new personal best of {{T&Fcalc|2.37}} at a meet in [[Athens]], Greece on 20 June 1987.<ref>Personal best height progression&nbsp;– "Athletes biography". ''www.iaaf.org''</ref>

==Career==
===First world record 1988===
On 8 September 1988, at a meet held in [[Salamanca]], Spain – just four days before the opening ceremonies of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] – he set a world record of {{T&Fcalc|2.43}}. However, Sotomayor was again denied the chance to compete in the Olympics in [[Seoul]] due to another Cuban boycott of the Olympics. Sotomayor's leap of {{T&Fcalc|2.43}} broke, by one centimeter, the record of {{T&Fcalc|2.42}} set the previous summer (30 June 1987) by Sweden's [[Patrik Sjöberg]] in [[Stockholm]].

===Raises record in 1989 and again in 1993===
Sotomayor twice increased the world record, to {{T&Fcalc|2.44}} on 29 July 1989, in [[1989 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|the Central American and Caribbean Championships]], held in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]] and to the current record of {{T&Fcalc|2.45}} in [[Salamanca]], Spain on 27 July 1993.<ref>''The New York Times'', dateline Salamanca, Spain, July 27; [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/28/sports/track-and-field-sotomayor-s-8-1-2-leap-breaks-high-jump-mark.html ''Track and Field: Sotomayor's 8-1/2 Leap Breaks High Jump Mark''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132326/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/28/sports/track-and-field-sotomayor-s-8-1-2-leap-breaks-high-jump-mark.html |date=2017-12-01 }}; accessed 20 February 2011.</ref> The July 1989 record of 2.44&nbsp;m, which he cleared on his second attempt, was a historic jump for [[Imperial units|Imperial-measure]] fans, as that was the first jump over 8 feet.

After setting the record at {{T&Fcalc|2.44}} in July 1989, Sotomayor became inconsistent the following year. He missed much of the 1990 outdoor season after surgery to remove scar tissue in his knee and heel. Competing before an adoring Cuban public at the Pan American Games in [[Havana]] on Saturday 10 August 1991, Sotomayor defeated his principal rival, American [[Hollis Conway]], with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.35}}. He then thrilled the crowd by having the bar raised 10&nbsp;cm to a new world record of {{T&Fcalc|2.45}}, but in each of his three attempts he jumped into the bar, striking it with his shoulders on the way up each time. Afterwards he said, "My physical condition is better, but psychologically I am not well prepared."<ref>''Chicago Tribune'', August 11, 1991; "Cuba's Best Jumper Answers Fan's Yearning for Gold"; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref>

The 1993 record set at the Salamanca Invitational track meet was remarkable in that Sotomayor required only four jumps: he took his first jump at {{T&Fcalc|2.32}}, passed at {{T&Fcalc|2.35}}, cleared {{T&Fcalc|2.38}} on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to a record height of {{T&Fcalc|2.45}}, which he missed on his first attempt and then succeeded on his second attempt, lightly brushing the bar. Videos of his record-setting leap show his unique, galloping approach with two elongated strides in the middle of his 14-step run, and a powerful left leg take-off as he pumps both of his arms: he begins his approach with three short steps, builds up speed, then takes exaggerated strides on steps 8 and 9, and then re-accelerates over his last five strides.

After setting the record in Salamanca, Sotomayor told reporters, "I wanted to set the record here because it is a small city in which I feel like I am in Cuba. The people recognize me in the street and ask how I'm doing, the children surround me and I find myself in a good mental state."

===World indoor record in 1989===
Sotomayor set the current world indoor record of {{T&Fcalc|2.43}} in [[Budapest]] on 4 March 1989.<ref>[https://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/ageGroup=N/season=0/gender=M/discipline=HJ/legal=A/index.html IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations – IAAF.org – Statistics – Top Lists]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050330034237/http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout%3DO/ageGroup%3DN/season%3D0/gender%3DM/discipline%3DHJ/legal%3DA/index.html |date=March 30, 2005 }}</ref>

He broke the record during the [[1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships]], clearing {{T&Fcalc|2.43}} on his first attempt (and fifth jump overall). At this competition, Sotomayor was one of four men to clear {{T&Fcalc|2.35}}, at which point he stood in third place, trailing [[Dietmar Mögenburg]] (Germany) and [[Dalton Grant]] (Great Britain) who each succeeded on their first attempts, while Sotomayor and Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden) each needed two tries. In Budapest, he took his first jump of the competition at {{T&Fcalc|2.31}}, passed at {{T&Fcalc|2.33}}, missed his initial try at {{T&Fcalc|2.35}} then cleared on his second attempt; made a huge first attempt clearance at {{T&Fcalc|2.37}}; passed at {{T&Fcalc|2.39}}; then had the bar raised for a record attempt at {{T&Fcalc|2.43}}, clearing on his first try, just brushing the bar with the back of his thighs on the way down. Germany's [[Carlo Thränhardt]], who had set the indoor record of {{T&Fcalc|2.42}} one year earlier (26 February 1988) in Berlin, finished fifth at Budapest with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.33}}.

===Olympic champion in 1992===
When he was finally able to compete in the Summer Olympics, in [[1992 Olympics|1992]], he won the gold medal, and later the silver medal at the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Olympics]] (after the reversal of a drug suspension for [[drug]] usage). Between the Olympic games he won the [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993]] and [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 World Championships]].

At the [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump|1992 Barcelona Olympics]], Sotomayor won the high jump on the basis of his ability to jump "clean" (no misses) at the highest height. Five men cleared the winning height of {{T&Fcalc|2.34}}, but Sotomayor was the only one to clear the bar on his first attempt. All five competitors then failed at the next height, {{T&Fcalc|2.37}}. Jumping last in the round, Sotomayor failed on his first two attempts at {{T&Fcalc|2.37}}. When everyone else missed on their third attempts, Sotomayor was assured of the gold medal and therefore passed up his third attempt, opting for one try at a record height of {{T&Fcalc|2.39}}, which he missed.<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1992/ATH/mens-high-jump-final-round.html |title=Athletics at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games: Men's High Jump Final Round |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105101010/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1992/ATH/mens-high-jump-final-round.html |archive-date=2012-11-05 |access-date=21 February 2011}}</ref> Sotomayor was declared the victor on the basis of the tie-breaker: Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden) won the silver medal having cleared 2.34 on his second attempt, while Artur Partyka (Poland), Tim Forsyth (Australia) and Hollis Conway (USA) tied for the bronze medal.

===Indoor and outdoor world champion in 1993===
Less than one month after setting the world record of {{T&Fcalc|2.45}} at Salamanca (on 27 July), Sotomayor won the 1993 World Championships held at Stuttgart, Germany on 22 August. He outjumped the competition, establishing a new World Championships record of {{T&Fcalc|2.40}}: the second-place jumper, Artur Partyka (Poland) jumped 2.37.

The last time he would clear {{T&Fcalc|2.40}} was on 25 March 1995 at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. A healthy Sotomayor attempted to defend his title at the 1995 World Championships, held in Gothenburg, Sweden. He cleared the winning height of {{T&Fcalc|2.37}} on 8 August, but finished second to Troy Kemp (Bahamas) on the basis of missed jumps. Partyka finished third, at 2.35.

At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece, Sotomayor again won the gold medal on 6 August, defeating Partyka with a 1997 world-leading jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.37}} (on his second attempt), to the Partyka's {{T&Fcalc|2.35}} (his best of the season to that date.)

===1996 outdoor season===
Sotomayor had a good start to 1996 during the indoor season, but was plagued by injury during the outdoor season. At the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] he attempted to defend his Olympic title in [[Atlanta]]. He qualified for the finals with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.28}} on Friday, but in the finals on Sunday July 28, he could manage only his opening jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.25}}, clearing on his first attempt. He then "passed" at the next height {{T&Fcalc|2.29}}, and then failed in all three of his attempts at {{T&Fcalc|2.32}}. His {{T&Fcalc|2.25}} clearance left him in equal 11th position. This was a full {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} short of what was required to medal at [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump|Atlanta]]: American Charles Austin won the gold medal, breaking the Olympic record with a leap of {{T&Fcalc|2.39}}.

Sotomayor underwent treatment for knee and heel injuries after his poor showing in the Atlanta Olympics and skipped the 1997 indoor season. He began training in Puerto Rico in spring 1997 for the outdoor season, but Cuban sports officials announced on 30 May 1997 that although Sotomayor was "in good form", he was withdrawing from the season's first big meet in Toronto and would instead make his season debut the following week at a track meet in France.<ref>''Orlando Sentinel'', 30 May 1997, ''News from the Caribbean and Latin America''; [https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1997/05/30/high-jumper-sotomayor-to-skip-toronto-showdown/  ''High Jumper Sotomayor to Skip Toronto Showdown''] ; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref>

===1999 Pan American Games===
Sotomayor won the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, held in Winnipeg. Just a few days after his victory, Games officials announced that his urine test tested positive for an illegal drug, cocaine (a stimulant), and on 4 August he was stripped of his medal and was sent home to Cuba in disgrace. At the time, this was widely regarded as the biggest drug scandal in the sport of track and field in over a decade (since Canadian sprinter [[Ben Johnson (Canadian sprinter)|Ben Johnson]] was stripped of his gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics). In 1999 Sotomayor was a national celebrity, a well-known anti-drug crusader and the pride of Cuba's sports system. Mario Granda, Cuba's chief of sports medicine, reacted to the shocking news by saying the 31-year-old Sotomayor had "passed more than 60 drug tests" in his career and suggested that Sotomayor was the victim of sabotage.

===2000 Olympics in Sydney===
Sotomayor was allowed to participate in the [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney despite his two-year drug suspension from 1999. His suspension was upheld in June 2000, but in August the IAAF cut the penalty in half – effectively to time served – and allowed him to compete at Sydney at the age of 32. The finals of the men's high jump were held on Sunday September 24, in rainy, windy conditions which worsened as the event progressed. The wet surface greatly impacted the results. Seven men cleared {{T&Fcalc|2.32}} before the light rain began to worsen, and Russian Sergey Klyugin was the only jumper able to clear the next height, {{T&Fcalc|2.35}}, doing so before the rain and wind peaked. Sotomayor was awarded silver on the count-back, having taken only two jumps with no misses (at {{T&Fcalc|2.25}} and {{T&Fcalc|2.32}}): all other competitors had at least one failed attempt. The favorite to win the competition, Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia) managed to clear only {{T&Fcalc|2.29}} in the rain, after having cleared {{T&Fcalc|2.40}} one month before. Another medal favorite, Stefan Holm (Sweden), finished fourth and complained that the IAAF should not have reduced Sotomayor's two-year suspension.<ref>''The New York Times'', September 25, 2000; [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/25/sports/sydney-2000-track-field-russian-soars-above-bitterness-high-jump.html?ref=javiersotomayor  ''Sydney 2000: Track and Field; A Russian Soars Above the Bitterness in the High Jump''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309203236/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/25/sports/sydney-2000-track-field-russian-soars-above-bitterness-high-jump.html?ref=javiersotomayor |date=2016-03-09 }}; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref>

===Dominating career===
[[Image:best high jumps.jpg|left|Sotomayor's dominance of all-time best high jumps.|350px]]

Sotomayor has a rare dominance in the history of this event. At the time he retired, he had 17 of the top 20 jumps of all time. Only 13 men in history have jumped 2.40 metres or higher, and only 5 have done it more than once. Sotomayor did it 24 times (in 21 different competitions between September 1988 – March 1995). He is the only person to have cleared {{T&Fcalc|2.44}} (which he did twice). Following his world record in September 1993, he had his greatest year in 1994, when he (again) was the only jumper to scale 2.40 metres or better, doing so ten times that year: two during the indoor season in February, and seven times outdoors, starting at Seville on 5 June 1994, where he cleared 2.40 metres before recording the year's best jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.42}}. Besides dominating the event on the Grand Prix circuit, Sotomayor recorded wins at the Goodwill Games in St Petersburg on 29 July, and at the World Cup in London on 11 September, where his best jump of 2.40&nbsp;m was a record 12 centimeters above the next-best performance. The last time he would clear 2.40 meters was on March 25, 1995, at the [[Pan American Games]] in [[Mar del Plata]], Argentina. Only [[Bohdan Bondarenko]] and [[Mutaz Essa Barshim]] have jumped higher outdoors since, although four men equaled the mark.

During his career, Sotomayor was ranked by ''Track & Field News'' in the "Top 10" in the men's high jump in ten different years, and was ranked #1 eight of those ten years: in 1988, 89, 1992, 93, 94, 95, 97 and 1998. By comparison, the jumper with second-most #1 rankings over a career is Russian [[Valeriy Brumel]] in five consecutive years (1961–65). For his career Sotomayor accumulated 123 ranking points, while the jumper with the second-most career points, American [[Dwight Stones]] has 90 points and four consecutive #1 rankings (1973–76.)<ref>''Track and Field News''; [http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/hjworldbyathlete.pdf ''World Rankings Index – Men's High Jump''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520181620/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/hjworldbyathlete.pdf |date=2011-05-20 }}; accessed 24 February 2011.</ref>

==Drug tests==
Sotomayor tested positive for [[cocaine]] at the [[1999 Pan American Games]], which Cuban president [[Fidel Castro]] claimed was a set-up by the Cuban-American Mafia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/10-doping-excuses.html |title=Notable doping excuses |publisher=CBC Sports |access-date=22 February 2008 |date=31 July 2006 |archive-date=3 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303103649/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/10-doping-excuses.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Sotomayor claimed his innocence. After months of hearings, an IAAF arbitration panel upheld the two-year ban on June 27, 2000. The Cuban federation continued to appeal his case, citing a clause in the IAAF rulebook that allows drug bans to be modified under "exceptional circumstances". In a controversial decision announced on August 2, the IAAF shortened the suspension to one year – which had elapsed on July 30 – thereby allowing him to compete in the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].<ref>''The New York Times'', August 19, 2000; [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/19/sports/olympics-tainted-jumper-returns-to-boos-and-one-medal.html?ref=javiersotomayor  "Olympics; Tainted Jumper Returns to Boos and One Medal"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309200642/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/19/sports/olympics-tainted-jumper-returns-to-boos-and-one-medal.html?ref=javiersotomayor |date=2016-03-09 }}; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref> IAAF's motivation for this action was that Sotomayor had done a great deal for the sport, had passed hundreds of drug tests during his long career, and acted exemplarily throughout.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/athletics-field/889638.stm |title=Protest over Sotomayor comeback |publisher=BBC UK |access-date=22 February 2008 |date=21 August 2000 |archive-date=17 December 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021217124549/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/athletics-field/889638.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> Two weeks after his suspension was lifted, Sotomayor returned to competition at a small track meet in Montauban, France, which he won with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|2.28}}. Four days later he won a Golden League meet held in [[Monaco]] by clearing {{T&Fcalc|2.30}}. Interviewed on French television immediately after his victory, Sotomayor said: "I was not fantastic today. I was very tired because I have been practicing a lot, and I also have a new baby since July, which is another reason why I'm a little tired. But I should be able to clear 2.36 or 2.37 at the Olympics. I just hope nobody else does 2.40." Sotomayor cleared 2.32&nbsp;m, good for the silver medal.

==Retirement==
In September 2001, Sotomayor announced that he would end his career, following another positive drug test during a training camp in June, this time for the [[anabolic steroid]] [[nandrolone]].<ref name="Nandrolone2001">{{cite web |url=https://www.rediff.com/sports/2002/jan/11soto.htm |title=Sotomayor tests positive for nandrolone |publisher=Rediff Sports |access-date=22 February 2008 |archive-date=1 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601074009/https://www.rediff.com/sports/2002/jan/11soto.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He avoided a lifetime ban that would normally follow a second positive test. This second test disqualified his fourth-place finish in his last World Championship. Once again, Sotomayor claimed he was innocent and that mistakes had been made during the handling of his doping test.<ref name="Nandrolone2001" />

These allegations never gained strong support in his home country Cuba,<ref name="Nandrolone2001" /> although former IAAF Vice President and Doping Commission Chairman [[Arne Ljungqvist]]<!--<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.iaaf.org/InsideIAAF/Structure/Council/Ljungqvist.html |title=Dr Arne Ljungqvist (SWE) |publisher=IAAF |access-date=22 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526194301/http://www2.iaaf.org/InsideIAAF/Structure/Council/Ljungqvist.html |archive-date=26 May 2008}}</ref>--> asserted these were both "crystal clear cases" in a Swedish interview.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.svd.se/sportspel/nyheter/artikel_242593.svd |title=Ljungqvist: 'Crystal clear cases' |publisher=Svenska Dagbladet |access-date=22 February 2008 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221101231/http://www.svd.se/sportspel/nyheter/artikel_242593.svd |archive-date=February 21, 2009}}</ref> In a February 2004 interview for Cuban news, Sotomayor said that injury had forced his retirement, not the doping scandal. An [[Achilles tendon]] problem hampered his performance, he said, and reduced his run-up from nine steps to seven and then just five.<ref>''Havana Journal'', "Cuba Culture, News and Information", February 11, 2004; [http://havanajournal.com/culture/entry/javier_sotomayor_now_jumping_to_a_fast_new_beat/ "Javier Sotomayor Now Jumping to a Fast New Beat"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917205903/http://havanajournal.com/culture/entry/javier_sotomayor_now_jumping_to_a_fast_new_beat/ |date=2018-09-17 }}; accessed 21 February 2011.</ref>

==Competition record==
{| {{AchievementTable}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{CUB}}
|-
|1983
|[[1983 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|Central American and Caribbean Championships]]
|[[Havana]], Cuba
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|2.17 m
|-
|1984
|[[Athletics at the Friendship Games|Friendship Games]]
|[[Moscow]], Soviet Union
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[Athletics at the Friendship Games – Men's high jump|2.25 m]]
|-
|rowspan=3|1985
|[[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|World Indoor Games]]
|[[Paris]], France
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games – Men's high jump|2.30 m]]
|-
|[[1985 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|Central American and Caribbean Championships]]
|[[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], Bahamas
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2.30 m
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1985 Summer Universiade|Universiade]]
|[[Kobe]], Japan
|10th
|[[Athletics at the 1985 Summer Universiade – Men's high jump|2.20 m]]
|-
|rowspan=4|1986
|[[1986 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships|Pan American Junior Championships]]
|[[Winter Park, Florida]], U.S.
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2.27 m
|-
|[[1986 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|Central American and Caribbean<br />Junior Championships]] (U20)
|[[Mexico City]], Mexico
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2.31 m (A)
|-
|[[1986 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|[[Athens]], Greece
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1986 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.25 m]]
|-
|[[1986 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics|Ibero-American Championships]]
|[[Havana]], Cuba
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1986 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics – Results#High jump|2.30 m]]
|-
|rowspan=3|1987
|[[1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.
|4th
|[[1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.32 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]
|Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games – Men's high jump|2.32 m]]
|-
|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Rome]], Italy
|9th
|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.29 m]]
|-
|1988
|[[1988 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics|Ibero-American Championships]]
|[[Mexico City]], Mexico
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1988 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics – Results#High jump|2.35 m]] '''A'''
|-
|rowspan=3|1989
|[[1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Budapest]], Hungary
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.43 m]] (iWR)
|-
|[[1989 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|Central American and Caribbean Championships]]
|[[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], San Juan
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2.44 m
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1989 Summer Universiade|Universiade]]
|[[Duisburg]], [[West Germany]]
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1989 Summer Universiade – Men's high jump|2.34 m]]
|-
|1990
|[[Athletics at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games|Central American and Caribbean Games]]
|Mexico City, Mexico
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games – Results#High jump|2.34 m]] (A)
|-
|rowspan=3|1991
|[[1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Seville]], Spain
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|[[1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.31 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1991 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]
|Havana, Cuba
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1991 Pan American Games – Men's high jump|2.35 m]]
|-
|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Tokyo]], Japan
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.36 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1992
|[[1992 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics|Ibero-American Championships]]
|[[Seville]], Spain
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1992 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics – Results#High jump|2.30 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Barcelona]], Spain
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|2.34 m]]
|-
|rowspan=4|1993
|[[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Toronto]], Canada
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.41 m]]
|-
|Gran Premio Diputación
|[[Salamanca]], Spain
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Men's high jump world record progression|2.45 m]] WR
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games|Central American and Caribbean Games]]
|[[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]], Ponce
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games – Results#High jump|2.35 m]]
|-
|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Stuttgart]], Germany
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.40 m]]
|-
|1994
|[[Athletics at the 1994 Goodwill Games|Goodwill Games]]
|[[St. Petersburg]], Russia
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1994 Goodwill Games – Results#High jump|2.40 m]]
|-
|rowspan=3|1995
|[[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|Barcelona, Spain
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.38 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1995 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]
|[[Mar del Plata]], Argentina
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1995 Pan American Games – Men's high jump|2.40 m]]
|-
|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Gothenburg]], Sweden
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.37 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
|[[1996 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics|Ibero-American Championships]]
|[[Medellín]], Colombia
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1996 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics – Results#High jump|2.30 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Atlanta, Georgia]], U.S.
|11th
|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|2.25 m]]
|-
|1997
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Athens]], Greece
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.37 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1998
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games|Goodwill Games]]
|[[Uniondale, New York]], U.S.
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games – Results#High jump|2.33 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games|Central American and Caribbean Games]]
|[[Maracaibo]], Venezuela
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games – Results#High jump|2.37 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Maebashi]], Japan
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.36 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1999 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]
|[[Winnipeg, Manitoba]], Canada
| –
|[[Athletics at the 1999 Pan American Games – Men's high jump|DQ]]
|-
|2000
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Sydney]], Australia
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|2.32 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|2001
|[[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Lisbon]], Portugal
|5th
|[[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.25 m]]
|-
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Edmonton, Ontario]], Canada
|–
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|DQ]]
|}

==See also==
* [[List of doping cases in athletics]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|javier-sotomayor}}
* {{Olympedia|66830}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224115/http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/ing/04/premiados/trayectorias/trayectoria589.html |date=September 26, 2007 |title=Javier Sotomayor (fundacionprincipedeasturias.org)}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004428/http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y99/ago99/09o9.htm |date=September 27, 2007 |title=''Cuba defiende a Sotomayor, apunta a la CIA'' (cubanet.org)}} {{in lang|es}}
* {{YouTube|vWde8sMxe1w|World Record high jump}}

{{s-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{Succession box|before={{flagicon|ESP}} [[Miguel Indurain]]|title=[[Prince of Asturias Award#Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Sports|Prince of Asturias Award for Sports]]|years=1993|after={{flagicon|CZE}} [[Martina Navratilova]]}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Patrik Sjöberg]]|title=[[World record progression high jump men|Men's High Jump World Record Holder]]|years=1988-09-08 – |after=[[Incumbent]]}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Patrik Sjöberg]]|title=[[High jump#Season's bests|Men's High Jump Best Year Performance]]|years=1988–1989|after={{flagicon|ROM}} [[Sorin Matei]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|ROM}} [[Sorin Matei]]|title=[[High jump#Season's bests|Men's High Jump Best Year Performance]]<br /><small>alongside {{flagicon|USA}} [[Hollis Conway]] ({{athAbbr|i}}), {{flagicon|USA}} [[Charles Austin (high jumper)|Charles Austin]]</small>|years=1991|after={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Patrik Sjöberg]] ({{athAbbr|i}}) }}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Patrik Sjöberg]] ({{athAbbr|i}})|title=[[High jump#Season's bests|Men's High Jump Best Year Performance]]|years=1993–1995|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Charles Austin (high jumper)|Charles Austin]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Charles Austin (high jumper)|Charles Austin]]|title=[[High jump#Season's bests|Men's High Jump Best Year Performance]]|years=1997–1998|after={{flagicon|RUS}} [[Vyacheslav Voronin]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's high jump}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer World Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer World Indoor Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer CAC Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Footer Junior World Champions High Jump Men}}
{{Prince of Asturias Award for Sports}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotomayor, Javier}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Matanzas Province]]
[[Category:Cuban men high jumpers]]
[[Category:Cuban sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:World Athletics record holders]]
[[Category:World Athletics indoor record holders]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Cuba]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Cuba]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Cuba]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Doping cases in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for Cuba]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1989 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics U20 Championships winners]]
[[Category:Friendship Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Cuban Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Cuban sportsmen]]