Javier Sotomayor was born in Matanzas, Cuba on October 13, 1967. His parents were factory workers and he and his older brother worked in sugarcane fields. Javier was interested in sports, especially high jumping. He practiced by jumping over dry sugarcane stalks placed on large oil barrels. He caught the eye of the country's high-jumping coach. At fifteen, Javier was jumping 6 feet 6 inches. In 1984 when he was seventeen, he won the Cuban national championship with a jump of 7 feet 7 inches. He was the world's best high jumper in his age group every year from age fifteen to seventeen. In 1988, Javier was one of the best high jumpers in the world. He set his first world record of 7 feet 11 inches that year. On July 29, 1989, Javier broke the 8 foot barrierwhich eemed to be impossible. In 1990, his only coach died at age 64. In 1992, Javier won his first Olympic medal with a jump of 7 feet 8 inches. Javier Sotomayor is the greatest high jumper to ever live.
