New Delhi: Cuban high jump icon Javier Sotomayor, the only athlete in history to clear the eight-foot barrier, visited the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium on Sunday, where he inspected the venue’s Mondo track and toured the newly built SAI Fitness Centre. Sotomayor’s world record of 2.45 metres, set in Spain in 1993, has stood for more than 32 years.
Sotomayor, a 1992 Olympic gold medallist, was joined by Palestinian middle-distance runner Mohammed Dwedar, who recently competed at the Tokyo World Championships. Both athletes interacted with SAI trainees and coaches, including Indian para high jumper Sharad Kumar, javelin thrower Sachin Yadav and Russian coach Sergey Makarov, who is currently training India’s javelin contingent.
This is Sotomayor’s second visit to India, and he expressed admiration for the stadium’s facilities. “I feel very good to be in India again and I like India a lot. The JLN Stadium Mondo track is great. It is of very good quality for achieving good results,” he said.
The 58-year-old also commended India’s rapid rise in athletics, particularly in javelin. “Indian athletes keep getting better each time. At the world level, they already have very high quality in javelin throw. I hope in the coming years they also excel in the other disciplines of athletics,” he said.
Sotomayor added that India’s facilities set a benchmark for Cuba’s sporting ambitions. “In the next 10 years, we want to have stadiums as big as this in Cuba. We now have a sense of what is required,” he noted.
For Dwedar, stepping onto the Mondo track was a moment of aspiration. “It is my dream to come and compete in a place like this. I’m so happy to come to India, and I wish to train here, compete more and make national records for my country,” the 24-year-old said.
Two-time Paralympic medallist Sharad Kumar described meeting Sotomayor as a surreal moment. “He is an icon for every high jumper, and I have followed him ever since I started my journey. It is a privilege to meet him here and have a knowledge exchange,” he said. Kumar also arranged a FaceTime call between Sotomayor and fellow Indian high jumper Praveen Kumar.
Both Sotomayor and Dwedar were in New Delhi a day earlier to participate as panellists at the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival 2025.
