Juan Miguel Echevarría is today one of Cuba's most popular athletes and a promising young man who is meeting expectations, moving toward international stardom in the long jump.
After competing in the youth and cadet categories without outstanding results at the international level, despite his 8.05-meter jump in Havana, at only 16 years of age, in 2017 he participated in his first adult World Outdoor Athletics Championships, in London, but did not make the finals.
JUMPING TO THE ELITE
Echevarría, coached by Daniel Osorio, made his leap to the elite in 2018, crowning his accomplishments at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, with a jump of 8.46 meters, defeating then-champion Luvo Manyonga of South Africa. He arrived as an unknown and ended up the youngest indoor champion in field event history, at the age of 19, a title previously held by Cuban Ivan Pedroso.
On June 30, 2018, at the meet in Bad Langensalza, Germany, he achieved his personal record of 8.68 meters, outdoors, to rank among the ten best long jumpers ever. This same year, he drew attention in the Diamond League, with his 8.83 meters in Stockholm, which would have placed him fifth, behind Mike Powell (8.95), Bob Beamon (8.90), Carl Lewis (8.87), and Robert Emmiyan (8.86). But the jump was not approved given wind speed of 2.1 meters per second in his favor, a tenth more than allowed.
He began 2019 with an astonishing 8.92 jump - with wind in his favor of 3.3 m/s - during the Cuban Athletics Cup. At Ostrava’s Golden Spike, he jumped for 8.32 and re-affirmed his first place last year when he set a record for the event of 8.66 meters, just five centimeters short of Ivan Pedroso’s national record of 8.71 meters.
In the Diamond League, Echevarría dominated at two meets, and in another, finished second. He won in Rabat (8.15) and Lausanne, with 8.32 meters. In Stockholm, he finished second, surpassing 8.12 meters. These accomplishments won him a spot in the Zurich finals in Letzigrund Stadium, where he was unbeatable, and won his first Diamond with a jump of 8.65 meters.
GOLD IN LIMA
Echevarría won his Pan American title in Lima, where a jump of 8.27 meters was enough to make all the predictions come true and win a gold medal.
Then came the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, where the media and specialists all named him the favorite. This desire was confirmed in the qualification round, when he convinced any doubters with a single attempt of 8.40 meters, leaving rivals far behind. But in the finals, his running approach was awkward and take-off not optimal. He did not achieve much altitude in the flight phase, that would have made for a better performance. His 8.34-meter jump was good for a bronze medal.
These accomplishments have launched his candidacy for Cuba’s Best Athlete of the Year, facing off against boxer Andy Cruz and wrestler Ismael Borrero.
