Cuban Sprinters - Alberto Juantorena, Roberto Hernndez, Silvio Leonard, Liliana Allen, Norberto Tllez, Julia Duporty, Pablo Montes (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: Agustin Pavo, Alberto Juantorena, Alfredo Garcia-Baro, Aliuska Lopez, Andres Simon, Arian Iznaga, Aurelia Penton, Aymee Martinez, Bertha Diaz, Carmen Trustee, Carmen Valdes, Daisurami Bonne, Enrique Figuerola, Ettiam Calderon, Eusebia Riquelme, Felix Stevens, Freddy Durruthy, Freddy Mayola, Fulgencia Romay, Henry Vizcaino, Hermes Ramirez, Idalmis Bonne, Indira Terrero, Ivan Garcia (athlete), Joel Isasi, Joel Lamela, Jorge Aguilera, Jorge Crusellas, Jose Angel Cesar, Juan Miguel Lopez, Juan Morales (Cuban athlete), Julia Duporty, Lazaro Martinez, Leandro Penalver, Lency Montelier, Libania Grenot, Liliana Allen, Luis Alberto Perez-Rionda, Luis Felipe Gutierrez, Luis Manuel Galano, Marlene Elejarde, Michael Herrera, Miguelina Cobian, Misael Ortiz, Nancy McLeon, Nelkis Casabona, Norberto Tellez, Omar Cisneros, Omar Mena, Osvaldo Lara, Pablo Montes (athlete), Rafael Fortun, Raidel Acea, Roberto Hernandez (athlete), Roberto Skyers, Roxana Diaz (athlete), Silvia Chivas, Silvio Leonard, Tomas Gonzalez (sprinter), Violetta Quesada, Virgen Benavides, William Collazo, Yunidis Castillo. Excerpt: Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former track athlete, famed for his nine foot stride length. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles. Born in Santiago de Cuba, as a 6 foot 2 inch 14 year old, Juantorena was first considered a potential star at basketball and was sent to a state basketball school. A talented athlete at many sports, he had been a regional high-school champion at 800 and 1500 meters, but his true talent at athletics 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 when young was an athlete, the Cuban sprinter Enrique Figuerola. 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 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 race by convincing him the other runners need a pacemaker. 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. 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 of 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 first to do so at an officially recognized Olympics. In 1977, he se