Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena Danger (born 3 December, 1950) is a former Cuban track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, "White Lightning" became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles.

Born in Santiago de Cuba, Juantorena first played basketball, until he was discovered by a Polish track coach, Zygmunt Zabierzowski, who convinced him to start running. Only a year later, Juantorena was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 400 m event at the Munich Olympics (1972).

Juantorena became better known in the next years, winning a gold medal at the World University Games (1973) and a silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, both in the 400 m. He only seriously took up running the 800 m in 1976, so few thought he was a serious candidate for the Olympic gold that year. However, Juantorena made it to the Olympic final, and led the field for most of the race, eventually winning in a world record time of 1:43.50. Three days later, he also won the 400 m final, setting a low-altitude world record of 44.26.

Juantorena, now known at home as "El Caballo" (the horse), continued his career, although he would never reach the same level as in Montreal. He just missed out on a medal in the 400 m at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, placing fourth. At the 1983 World Championships, his last international appearance in a major event, he broke his foot when he stepped on the inside of the track after qualifying in the first round of the 800m.

Juantorena later served as the Vice Minister of Sports for Cuba.

External Links and References

* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=42129 Alberto Juantorena at Olympic.org]
* [http://www2.iaaf.org/InsideIAAF/Structure/Council/Juantorena.html Alberto Juantorena at iaaf.org]

Persondata
NAME = Juantorena, Alberto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Alberto Juantorena Danger
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Cuban track athlete
DATE OF BIRTH = 3 December, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH = Santiago de Cuba
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alberto Juantorena — Alberto Juantorena …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alberto Juantorena — auf dem Weg zu einer Siegerehrung Alberto Juantorena Danger (* 21. November 1950 in Santiago de Cuba/Kuba) ist ein ehemaliger kubanischer Leichtathlet. Er gewann 1976 Olympisches Gold über 400 m und 800 m …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alberto Juantorena — Juantorena (a la derecha) en el Campeonato Mundial de Atletismo de 2007. Alberto Juantorena Danger (3 de diciembre de 1950 en Santiago de Cuba), atleta cubano especialista en las pruebas de 400 y 800 metros. Se proclamó campeón olímpico de ambas… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Juantorena — Alberto Juantorena (rechts) assistiert bei einer Siegerehrung Alberto Juantorena Danger (* 21. November 1950 in Santiago de Cuba/Kuba) ist ein ehemaliger kubanischer Leichtathlet, der 1976 Olympisches Gold über 400 m und 800 m gewann, was bislang …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Juantorena, Alberto — ▪ Cuban athlete in full  Alberto Juantorena Danger  born December 3, 1950, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba    Cuban runner who won gold medals in both the 400 and 800 metre races at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, becoming the first athlete to win both… …   Universalium

  • Alberto — Para otros usos de este término, véase Alberto (desambiguación). Alberto Albert Einstein. Origen Germa …   Wikipedia Español

  • Juantorena — /hwantoʊˈrinə/ (say hwahntoh reenuh) noun Alberto, born 1951, Cuban runner …  

  • Osmany Juantorena — Personal information Full name Osmany Juantorena Portuondo Nationality …   Wikipedia

  • 800-m-Lauf — 800 Meter Lauf Der 800 Meter Lauf ist eine Disziplin in der Leichtathletik. Zusammen mit dem 1500 Meter Lauf und dem Meilenlauf gehört er zu den Mittelstrecken. Im Wettkampf sind zwei ganze Stadionrunden zu laufen. Um Drängeleien zu vermeiden,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • 400 m — 400 mètres (athlétisme) 400 m …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”