Juan’s Story
Hurdles are like problems; with the right skills, they can be solved.
My first school, Camilo Cienfuegos, was around 3 km from my grandparents' house. My uncle took responsibility for walking my brother and me to school every day, as my mum was busy managing the town's businesses. The walk took us around an hour.
At the time, I didn't know that running, crossing fences at the family farm, waking up at 5 am Monday to Friday, and walking to school were preparing me for the life ahead.
I was introduced to athletics in the middle of fourth grade by athletics coach Pablo Sanches. At the time, I wanted to play football, but there was no space for any more children.
A few of us signed up for athletics instead. We didn't really know what athletics was, and to be honest, we were mostly excited about getting out of school for two hours in the afternoon!
We walked 2 km to La Ondi, the local sports field. There, we started learning running, jumping and throwing techniques. We also played baseball and non-contact football, using some of the techniques we had learned.
I was happy to get out of school, but soon I became even more excited about the athletics sessions because they were so much fun.
I was then transferred to the Tania La Guerrillera pre-initiation sports school in Florida. For fifth grade, I moved to EIDE Cerro Pelado in Camagüey.
I won my first gold medal 🏅 at the National Track and Field Multi-Event School Games in Havana, Cuba. I spent the whole week with the medal hanging around my neck. I even scratched my name on the back because I didn't want to lose it.
That was it. I had found something I could put my passion into, learning, travelling, discovering new things and meeting different people.
Athletics became my passion, and I went on to win more medals at the National School Games.
Olympic Junior Games
I joined the National Junior Team in 1985 at ESPA Nacional Giraldo Córdova Cardín in Havana, Cuba. In 1986, I won my first international gold medal in the 4 × 400m relay at the Olympic Hope Junior Games in Neubrandenburg, Germany.
In 1987, I joined the National Senior Athletics Team at Cerro Pelado in Havana and studied at ISCF Manuel Fajardo – the National Institute of Sport and Recreation.
I went on to win several more medals at national and international track and field events, including the Central American and Caribbean Games, University Games, and international track and field meetings.
I became one of the most decorated university track and field athletes at the Central American and Caribbean Games, winning 4 gold and 2 silver medals.
Golden Spike Trophy
My greatest satisfaction was winning the 400m hurdles and the Golden Spike Trophy at the Super Grand Prix of Ostrava in the Czech Republic in 1990, for the best performance of the competition.
Master’s Degree in Sports Training
In August 1993, I completed my university studies at ISCF Manuel Fajardo, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Physical Culture, Therapeutic and Sports Training.
Physical and Mental Strength
My first coach, Pablo Sanches, taught me that athletics is not just about running. It is a combination of physical abilities, technical skills and mental strength that helps you become an athlete.
I wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but I learned to master the technical and tactical skills needed for every challenge I faced.
I wasn't picked for baseball, football, volleyball, basketball or boxing because the coaches thought I was too small, too skinny, too slow or not aggressive enough.
I felt like a ghost in every sport I wanted to play, the coaches simply couldn't see me.
Discovering Hurdles
When I attended EIDE Cerro Pelado, the initiation school of sport, my coach Orosman Perez taught me that every track and field event plays an important role in developing the abilities needed for other sports.
We learned different athletics skills, and he organised our pentathlon team according to our strengths and weaknesses. Together, we became the best pentathlon team in the country in our category.
When we started competing against teams from other sports, I was no longer invisible. My teammates saw me, and suddenly the coaches from baseball, football, volleyball, basketball and boxing wanted me on their teams too.
Winning the gold medal at the National Pentathlon School Games was a great achievement, but I was still not the fastest, the strongest or the best in any single event. I was usually second or third in each event in the 9–10 and 11–12 age categories.
But in the 13–14 category, my coaches Clarita and Mario Sanches introduced me to hurdles. This was where my overall athletic skills began to shine. For the first time, I started winning individual events. Suddenly, being skinny, not the fastest or not the strongest didn't matter anymore.
I fell in love with hurdles, and jumping over them became one of the greatest lessons of my life. From being invisible, I went on to become one of the most recognised junior and senior athletes in the country and internationally.
Hurdles are like problems: with the right skills, they can be overcome.
Founding Athletics 4 All
Founding Athletics 4 All has been deeply satisfying for me, but also one of the greatest challenges of my life.
My goal is to create a place where every child's potential has the opportunity to shine. A place where children can develop at their own pace, find the right path as they grow, and build their abilities, skills, mental strength and self-esteem.
