Alberto Juantorena facts for kids

Juantorena winning the 800 m final at the 1976 Olympics
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Full name	Alberto Juantorena Danger
Nickname(s)	El Caballo El elegante de las pistas
Born	(1950-12-03) 3 December 1950 (age 74) Santiago de Cuba
Height	190 cm
Weight	84 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400 m, 800 m
Coached by	Zygmunt Zabierzowski
Retired	1984
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400 m – 44.26 (1976) 800 m – 1:43.44 (1977)
Medal record Representing  Cuba Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montreal 400 m Gold 1976 Montreal 800 m Pan American Games Silver 1975 Mexico City 400 m Silver 1975 Mexico City 4×400 m Silver 1979 San Juan 400 m Silver 1979 San Juan 800 m Bronze 1979 San Juan 4×400 m Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 1974 Santo Domingo 400 m Gold 1978 Medellín 400 m Gold 1978 Medellín 800 m Gold 1982 Havana 800 m Central American and Caribbean Championships Gold 1973 Maracaibo 400 m Gold 1981 Santo Domingo 800 m Silver 1977 Ponce 400 m Summer Universiade Gold 1973 Moscow 400 m Gold 1977 Sofia 800 m Friendship Games Gold 1984 Moscow 800 m Representing Americas IAAF World Cup Gold 1977 Düsseldorf 400 m Gold 1977 Düsseldorf 800 m Bronze 1977 Düsseldorf 4×400 m
Updated on 6 June 2015.

Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, and in the 800 m in 1976–77, and was chosen as the Track & Field News Athlete of the Year in 1976 and 1977.

Biography

Early sports activities

As a 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) 14-year-old, Juantorena was first considered a potential star at basketball; he was sent to a state basketball school, and was a member of the national team. Meanwhile, he had been a regional high-school champion at 800 and 1500 meters. His running talent was discovered by a Polish track coach, Zygmunt Zabierzowski, who convinced him to start running seriously. Juantorena was ready for the change because as he states himself he was a 'bad' basketball player and his idol was the Cuban sprinter Enrique Figuerola. Only a year later, Juantorena reached the semifinals of the 400 m event at the 1972 Summer Olympics, missing a place in the final by 0.05 seconds.

Juantorena proceeded to win a gold medal at the 1973 World University Games and a silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, both in the 400 meters. He was unbeaten in 1973 and 1974, but underwent two operations on his foot in 1975. He only seriously took up running the 800 meters in 1976, so few thought he was a candidate for the Olympic gold that year. His coach, Zabierzowski, had initially tricked him in to trying an 800 m race by convincing him the other runners needed a pacemaker.

Olympics 1976

Juantorena made it to the 800m Olympic final, and led the field for most of the race, eventually winning in a world record time of 1:43.50. He was the first non-English speaking athlete to win Olympic gold in this event. Three days later, he also won the 400 meter final, setting a low-altitude world record at 44.26. By winning the 400 meters, he became the first athlete since Paul Pilgrim at the 1906 Intercalated Games to do such a double at an Olympic sports event, and was the only man to do so at an officially recognized Olympics.

Subsequent athletics career

In 1977, he set another world record in the 800, running 1:43.44 in Sofia at the World University Games. He also won both the 400 m and 800 m at the 1977 IAAF World Cup. The 400 m race was mired in controversy when the race was re-run a day after the initial race, in which Juantorena finished third, because Juantorena lodged a successful protest that his slow start had been due to not being able to hear the starter's gun. The latter race featured an epic duel with his great rival Kenya's Mike Boit, a duel that did not happen at the previous year's Olympics because of the African countries boycott.

Juantorena, now known at home as El Caballo (the horse), continued his career, although injuries meant he would never reach the same level as in Montreal. Juantorena had been born with flat feet that caused feet and back problems, and he had to have corrective surgery in 1977. In 1978 he was unbeaten at the 400 m, but suffered his first ever defeat at 800 meters. Injuries, particularly hamstring injuries, hampered his training and racing leading up to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where he just missed out on a medal in the 400 meters, placing fourth.

At the 1983 World Championships, his last international appearance in a major event, he broke his foot and tore ligaments when he stepped on the inside of the track after qualifying in the first round of the 800 m. He returned to training with a view to competing in the 1984 Summer Olympics. However the 1984 Summer Olympics boycott ended his last chance for competing at Olympics. Instead, he took part in the Friendship Games, the alternative to the official Olympics for the Eastern bloc countries, where he shared the gold medal in the 800 m with Ryszard Ostrowski.

Juantorena at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics

After retirement

After retirement from athletics in 1984, Juantorena has served in many official capacities, including as the Vice President of the National Institute for Sports, Physical Education and Recreation for Cuba, Vice Minister for Sport of Cuba, and vice-president, later Senior Vice-president of the Cuban Olympic Committee. He is a member of the World Athletics Council, and has also served as an Athletes' Commission Chairman and Grand Prix Commission Member.

Personal life

Juantorena was first married in 1972 to Yria, a former gymnast, with whom he had two children; He married twice more before meeting his current wife Yolanda, an employee of Cubana de Aviación. He has seven children in total. His nephew Osmany Juantorena is a professional volleyball player. In 2021 Juantorena was the subject of a feature documentary Running for the Revolution produced by British filmmaker Mark Craig. https://worldathletics.org/news/news/alberto-juantorena-running-for-the-revolution-film-release

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Cuba
1972	Olympic Games	Munich, West Germany	11th (sf)	400 m	46.07
1973	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Maracaibo, Venezuela	1st	400 m	46.4
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:10.1
	Universiade	Moscow, Soviet Union	1st	400 m	45.36
1974	Central American and Caribbean Games	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	1st	400 m	45.52
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.36
1975	Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico	2nd	400 m	44.80
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:02.82
1976	Olympic Games	Montreal, Canada	1st	400 m	44.26
			1st	800 m	1:43.50 (WR)
			7th	4 × 400 m relay	3:03.81
1977	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Xalapa, Mexico	2nd	400 m	45.67
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:09.24
	Universiade	Sofia, Bulgaria	1st	800 m	1:43.44 (WR)
	World Cup	Düsseldorf, West Germany	1st	400 m	45.361
			1st	800 m	1:44.041
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:02.771
1978	Central American and Caribbean Games	Medellín, Colombia	1st	400 m	44.27
			1st	800 m	1:47.23
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:05.57
1979	Pan American Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico	2nd	400 m	45.24
			2nd	800 m	1:46.4
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.3
1980	Olympic Games	Moscow, Soviet Union	4th	400 m	45.09
1981	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	1st	800 m	1:47.59
1982	Central American and Caribbean Games	Havana, Cuba	1st	800 m	1:45.15
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:03.59
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	28th (h)	800 m	1:48.402
1984	Friendship Games	Moscow, Soviet Union	1st	800 m	1:45.68
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.76

¹Representing the Americas
²Did not start in the semifinals

Rankings

Juantorena was ranked among the best in the world in both the 400 and 800 m sprint events over the spread of 10 seasons from 1973 to 1982, according to the experts of Track & Field News.

Best performances

Track records

As of 19 September 2024, Juantorena holds the following track records for 400 metres and 800 metres.

400 metres

800 metres

See also

In Spanish: Alberto Juantorena para niños

• A Step Away – Official Documentary of the 1979 Pan American Games.