The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Cuba

This page contains a list of the greatest Cuban Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 106 of which were born in Cuba. This makes Cuba the birth place of the 31st most number of Athletes behind Belarus, and India.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Cuban Athletes of all time. This list of famous Cuban Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Cuban Athletes.

1. Javier Sotomayor (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 65.42, Javier Sotomayor is the most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages on wikipedia.

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ sotomaˈʝoɾ]; born 13 October 1967) is a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic gold medalist, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; his world record of 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) makes him the only person ever to have cleared eight feet (2.44 m). He cleared eight feet twice, the first time with 2.44 m in 1989. Sotomayor is a two-time gold medalist at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, and also won two silver medals at the competition. At the IAAF World Indoor Championships he won four gold medals between 1989 and 1999. In addition, he won three straight titles at the Pan American Games from 1987 to 1995. He is regarded as the best high jumper of all time. After Cuban boycotts of the Olympics in 1984 and 1988 and an injury in 1996 cost him chances at additional Olympic medals, he won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He retired in 2001.

2. Alberto Juantorena (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 63.40, Alberto Juantorena is the 2nd most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

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 the 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.

3. Iván Pedroso (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 54.87, Iván Pedroso is the 3rd most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Iván Lázaro Pedroso Soler (Spanish pronunciation: [iˈβam peˈðɾoso]; born December 17, 1972) is a retired Cuban track and field athlete, who specialized in the long jump, and the current coach of Nelson Évora, Yulimar Rojas, and Jordan Díaz.

4. Ana Fidelia Quirot (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 53.58, Ana Fidelia Quirot is the 4th most famous Cuban Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Ana Fidelia Quirot Moré (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈana fiˈðelja kiˈɾot]; born March 23, 1963) is a former track and field athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 metres but was also successful over 400 m. At 800 metres, she is a two-time World Champion (1995, 1997) and a two-time Olympic medallist (1992, 1996). Her best time of 1:54.44 from 1989 still ranks her fifth on the world all-time list. She is regarded as one of the best female 800 m runners of all time, and probably the best to not have an Olympic gold medal in the event.

5. María Caridad Colón (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 53.11, María Caridad Colón is the 5th most famous Cuban Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

María Caridad Colón Rueñes-Salazar (born March 25, 1958, in Baracoa) is a former javelin thrower from Cuba who won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, setting a new record. She lit the flame at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games. In 2020, Rueñes became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

6. Alejandro Casañas (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 51.78, Alejandro Casañas is the 6th most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Alejandro Francisco Casañas Ramírez (born January 29, 1954) is a former Cuban hurdler. At the 1977 Summer Universiade in Sofia he set a new world record in the 110 m hurdles with a time 13.21 seconds. This record would, however, only stand for two years. He could never fully copy the world-leading performance at the Olympic Games, where he won silver medals in 1976 and 1980. His Cuban record time has later been improved by Anier García, Dayron Robles and Emilio Valle.

7. Silvio Leonard (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 51.61, Silvio Leonard is the 7th most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Silvio Leonard Sarría also known as Silvio Leonard Tartabull (born September 20, 1955, in Cienfuegos) is a former sprinter from Cuba. He is remarkable for being the second person to run the 100 meter sprints in less than 10 sconds with electronic timing, being the only Spanish speaking person to have accomplished such a feat.

8. Roberto Hernández (1967 - 2021)

With an HPI of 51.32, Roberto Hernández is the 8th most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Roberto Hernández Prendes (6 March 1967 – 5 July 2021) was a Cuban track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. He was born in Limonar, Matanzas. His personal best for the 400 metres is 44.14 seconds, set in Seville, Spain in May 1990. Until September 2006, this was the fastest time by anyone not from the US. It remains the Cuban record for the event. He broke 44.5 seconds on four other occasions. Hernandez finished fourth in the World Championship finals in 1987 and 1991. As a member of the Cuban 4 × 400 m relay squad he won a World Championship Bronze medal in 1987 and an Olympic silver medal in 1992. As of 1 October 2014, Hernandez holds the fastest non-winning time for the 300 metres.

9. Maritza Martén (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 50.07, Maritza Martén is the 9th most famous Cuban Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Maritza Martén García (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈɾitsa maɾˈten]; born August 17, 1963, in Havana) is a retired discus thrower from Cuba who competed in the discus contest at the 1992 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal. She also won the 1987 Pan American Games. Her personal best throw of 70.68 m (231 ft 10+1⁄2 in) was achieved in 1992.

10. Ángel Herrera Vera (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 48.96, Ángel Herrera Vera is the 10th most famous Cuban Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Ángel Herrera Vera (born August 2, 1957 in Guantánamo) is a Cuban amateur boxer, who won two Olympic gold medals, and the world title at the second World Championships in Belgrade. First competing in the featherweight (– 57 kg) category, he won the 1976 Olympics as well as the 1978 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He then competed in lightweight (– 60 kg) to win another Olympic gold in 1980, and his second World Title in Munich, West Germany. In 1983 he won a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

People

Pantheon has 107 people classified as Cuban athletes born between 1950 and 2004. Of these 107, 102 (95.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Cuban athletes include Javier Sotomayor, Alberto Juantorena, and Iván Pedroso. The most famous deceased Cuban athletes include Roberto Hernández, Estela Rodríguez, and Arnaldo Mesa. As of April 2024, 3 new Cuban athletes have been added to Pantheon including Leyanis Pérez, Yasmany Lugo, and Lázaro Martínez.