Orlando Ortega facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Orlando Ortega

Ortega in 2019
Personal information
Nationality	Spanish
Born	(1991-07-29) 29 July 1991 (age 34) Artemisa, Cuba
Height	1.85 m
Weight	70 kg
Sport
Country	Spain
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	110 metre hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	110 m hurdles: 12.94 s (+0.5 m/s) (Paris Saint-Denis 2015) 60 m hurdles: 7.45 s (Lódz 2015)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Spain Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 110 m hurdles World Championships Bronze 2019 Doha 110 m hurdles European Championships Bronze 2018 Berlin 110 m hurdles Representing  Cuba Pan American Games Bronze 2011 Guadalajara 110 m hurdles

Orlando Ortega Alejo, born on July 29, 1991, is a talented track and field athlete. He was born in Cuba but now competes for Spain. Orlando is best known for racing in the 110 metres hurdles, which is a sprint race where athletes jump over obstacles. His fastest time in this event is 12.94 seconds. He won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Orlando Ortega: A Hurdles Champion

Early Life and Cuban Career

Orlando Ortega started his journey in athletics in Cuba. From 2007, he began to win national titles in hurdles for young athletes. His first coach was his grandmother, Cristina Hechavarria. She was also a great athlete who won a gold medal in a relay race at the 1967 Pan American Games. Orlando kept all his medals at her house to remember her after she passed away.

In 2010, Orlando was chosen to compete at the World Junior Championships. The next year, 2011, was his first year competing as a senior athlete. He won a race called the Barrientos Memorial, setting a new personal best time of 13.56 seconds. A personal best is the fastest time an athlete has ever achieved in an event. He improved even more, running 13.29 seconds in Havana. At the 2011 Pan American Games, he won a bronze medal in the 110 meters hurdles.

In early 2012, Orlando competed in indoor races in Europe. He ran his fastest 60 meters hurdles race in Metz, finishing in 7.57 seconds. He then started training with a famous hurdles coach, Santiago Antúnez. In May, he ran the 110 meters hurdles in 13.09 seconds, becoming one of the fastest Cuban hurdlers ever. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he finished sixth in the 110 meters hurdles final.

Competing for Spain

During the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Orlando decided to leave Cuba. He later began competing for Spain in September 2013. At first, there were rules that meant he couldn't represent Spain in major international competitions until November 2016. This meant he might not have been able to go to the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, the rules were changed, and he was allowed to compete.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Orlando Ortega won a silver medal in the 110 meters hurdles. This was a huge achievement for him and for Spain. He finished just behind Omar McLeod.

In 2018, Orlando continued his success by winning a bronze medal at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.

Major Achievements

Orlando Ortega has won several important medals throughout his career:

• Silver Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (110 m hurdles).
• Bronze Medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha (110 m hurdles).
• Bronze Medal at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin (110 m hurdles).
• Bronze Medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara (110 m hurdles), representing Cuba.

At the 2019 World Championships, Orlando reached the final. He was in second place when another runner, Omar McLeod, stumbled and accidentally bumped into him. This slowed Orlando down, and he finished fifth. After an appeal by the Spanish team, the officials decided to award him a bronze medal because of the unfair incident.

Orlando Ortega continues to be a top athlete in the 110 meters hurdles, representing Spain in major competitions.

See also

In Spanish: Orlando Ortega para niños