Niurka Montalvo facts for kids

Niurka Montalvo Amaro was born on June 4, 1968, in Havana, Cuba. She is a talented former athlete who competed in the long jump and triple jump events. Niurka represented both Cuba and later Spain during her impressive career. Her biggest success came in 1999, when she became a world champion in the long jump. She achieved this with an amazing jump of 7.06 meters.

Her Athletic Journey

Starting Out as an Athlete

Niurka began her international sports journey early. She won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 1986 Pan American Junior Championships. Soon after, she started winning medals in senior competitions. She earned a gold medal in the long jump at the 1987 Central American and Caribbean Championships. Another gold followed at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Her first time competing on a global stage was at the 1991 World Indoor Championships. There, she finished fifth in the long jump. Niurka showed her versatility by winning two gold medals in 1993. She won both the long jump and triple jump at the Central American and Caribbean Championships. She also won the triple jump at the Summer Universiade that year. She almost won a medal at the 1993 World Championships, finishing fourth. In 1994, she won a silver medal in the long jump at the IAAF World Cup.

Big Wins and New Challenges

The year 1995 was a very successful one for Niurka. She won a silver medal in the triple jump and a gold in the long jump at the Pan American Games. Later that year, she earned her first world medal. She jumped 6.86 meters to win a silver medal in the long jump at the 1995 World Championships. She focused mainly on the long jump in the years after this, but faced some challenges. She did not make it past the qualifying rounds at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Competing for Spain

In 1999, Niurka became a Spanish citizen through marriage. This decision caused a lot of discussion at the time. However, it led to a big comeback in her career. She became the world champion in the long jump at the 1999 World Championships in Seville. Her former team, the Cuban Athletics Federation, prevented her from competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Niurka did not let this stop her. She continued to win medals, including several bronze medals. She won bronze at the 2000 IAAF Grand Prix Final and at the 2001 World Indoor Championships. She also earned a bronze at the 2001 World Championships. She continued to win medals in regional events. She took a gold at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships. In 2005, she won a silver medal at the Mediterranean Games. She finished seventh in the long jump final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. Niurka was 38 years old at the time.

Best Performances

• 100 metres hurdles - 13.57 seconds (1990)
• Long jump - 7.06 meters (1999)
• Triple jump - 14.60 meters (1994)

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Cuba
1986	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-20)	Mexico City, Mexico	2nd	100 m hurdles	14.20 A
			1st	Long jump	6.29 m A
	World Junior Championships	Athens, Greece	11th (sf)	100 m hurdles	14.28 (+1.1 m/s)
			14th (q)	Long jump	5.86 m
	Ibero-American Championships	Havana, Cuba	2nd	Long jump	6.11 m (+1.6 m/s)
1987	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Caracas, Venezuela	3rd	4 × 100 m relay	47.01
1988	Ibero-American Championships	Mexico City, Mexico	2nd	Long jump	6.55 m A
1990	Central American and Caribbean Games	Mexico City, Mexico	1st	Long jump	6.58 m
1991	World Indoor Championships	Seville, Spain	5th	Long jump	6.68 m
	Pan American Games	Havana, Cuba	10th	Long jump	6.04 m
1992	Ibero-American Championships	Seville, Spain	1st	Long jump	6.51 m w (+2.2 m/s)
			1st	Triple jump	13.60 m (+1.1 m/s)
1993	Universiade	Buffalo, United States	1st	Long jump	14.16 m (w)
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	4th	Triple jump	14.22 m   (0.2 m/s)
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Ponce, Puerto Rico	1st	Long jump	6.37 m
			1st	Triple jump	13.57 m
1994	Goodwill Games	St. Petersburg, Russia	5th	Triple jump	13.54 m
1995	World Indoor Championships	Barcelona, Spain	6th	Triple jump	14.04 m
	Pan American Games	Mar del Plata, Argentina	1st	Long jump	6.89 m
			2nd	Triple jump	13.90 m (w)
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	Long jump	6.86 m   (0.5 m/s)
			15th (q)	Triple jump	11.40 m   (1.1 m/s)
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	5th (q)	Long jump	6.48 m   (-0.8 m/s)
Representing  Spain
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	1st	Long jump	7.06 m NR   (-0.1 m/s)
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	3rd	Long jump	6.88 m w   (2.1 m/s)
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	5th	Long jump	6.78 m

Medal Wins

Quick facts for kids
Niurka Montalvo

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Cuba
World Championships
Silver	1995 Gothenburg	Long jump
Pan American Games
Gold	1995 Mar de Plata	Long jump
Silver	1995 Mar de Plata	Triple jump
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold	1990 Mexico City	Long jump
Gold	1993 Ponce	Long jump
Gold	1993 Ponce	Triple jump
CAC Junior Championships (U20)
Gold	1986 Mexico City	Long jump
Silver	1986 Mexico City	100 m hurdles
Representing  Spain
World Championships
Gold	1999 Seville	Long jump
Bronze	2001 Edmonton	Long jump
Mediterranean Games
Silver	2005 Almería	Long jump

Images for kids

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  Niurka Montalvo with José María Aznar, 1999.

See also

In Spanish: Niurka Montalvo para niños