Jaxier Sotomayor: Son of Javier Sotomayor Becomes Champion of Spain in the High Jump

“Like father, like son” Son of Javier Sotomayor is jumping champion in Spain

Jaxier Sotomayor: “I’m not afraid to dedicate myself to high jump, on the contrary, it motivates me”

Jaxier Sotomayor: Like Father, Like Son

Javier Sotomayor trains his son Jaxier, who wants to be a high jump champion, like his father. As soon as he sees journalists, Jaxier says, “an interview, oh, what nerves”. “The same thing happens to me before I compete, I feel nervous… But I like it. I guess it’s the adrenaline that starts to build up and then helps me compete better.”

Thus, competing so well that in the final he jumped five centimeters higher than he had ever jumped in training, Jaxier won the Spanish under-16 indoor championship in March 2021. “In training, I have not gone over 1.86 meters, but I was champion of Spain with 1.91”, he says. “And I didn’t expect it. In the competition I felt very, very good, and it happened”.

“He started doing athletics in Cuba,” the father says, “and, like me, like everyone in Cuba, at this age they do various disciplines, and of that discipline, the best one you do is the one in which you specialize. Thanks to that I was a jumper. And he has consequently followed the discipline. You can’t fool the genes.’

“We have dual nationality. He competes in Spain, but not for Spain, yet. Until he competes internationally, he still has a choice, and he hasn’t made a choice yet, no, no. He has more freedom to choose. At the moment, no, but soon he will have to decide”.

Will we see a new high jump world record in Tokyo? Ft. Javier Sotomayor ??

At just 13 years old, Jaxier was the youngest athlete in the tournament. and placed fifth with a jump of 1.78 meters which at that time became his personal best and the minimum record to be included in the Spanish indoor championship.

The young sportsman has on his shoulders the pressure of his father’s achievements, who for more than 25 years he has owned the world record of the discipline with a mark of 2.45 meters registered in Salamanca, Spain, in 1993, and untouchable for today’s most renowned jumpers.

Javier Sotomayor considered the best in high jump history, has an Olympic title, two world championships, four indoor and three Pan American titles. His first mark was obtained when he was only 16 years old.

Sources: