Javier Sotomayor: Career, Controversy & Net Worth
When most people expect you to fail, that is when you must rise from the ashes like a phoenix. That is the mantra the athlete followed; it is none other than Javier Sotomayor.
Who is Javier Sotomayor, you may ask? Javier Sotomayor is a retired Cuban professional athlete who competed in the high jump category.
The achievement of Javier is endless, and he is the current world record holder in the high jump with his eight feet and quarter inches high jump.
Javier has been faced with doping allegations in the past and has cleaned his name.
However, Javier stayed strong and maintained his innocence despite all the rumors being blown out of context.
Regardless of being retired from the track for twenty years now, he is still regarded as the best high jumper in the world.
Moreover, the athlete still has a huge fan following from his nation and worldwide.
In the article, you will find everything you need to know about the great athlete Javier Sotomayor.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about the amazing Javier Sotomayor:
| Full name | Javier Sotomayor Sanabria |
| Date of birth | 13th October of 1967 |
| Age | 56 Years Old |
| Birthplace | Limonar, Matanzas of Cuba |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Cuban |
| Ethnicity | Latin |
| Education | Sport Education in Havana |
| Father’s name | Gabriel Sotomayor |
| Mother’s name | Aurora Sotomayor |
| Zodiac sign | Libra |
| Height | 6 feet and 4 inches |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Spouse | Amaya Gonzalez |
| Children | Four sons |
| Body Measurement | Not Available |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Net Worth | $ 2.5 million |
| Siblings | Not Available |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Profession | Professional High Jumper |
| Current status | Retired |
| Nickname | Javier |
| Salary | Not Available |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Debut year | 2009 AD |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Javier Sotomayor: Early Life
Javier Sotomayor was born on 13th October of 1967. He was born and raised in Limonar of Matanzas region of Cuba.
His father’s name is Gabriel Sotomayor, and his mother’s name is Aurora Sotomayor. Unfortunately, there is no information about their whereabouts.
Gabriel was a sugar factory maintenance man, and his wife Aurora was a daycare worker.
Moreover, they had a hard time but still managed to support the family throughout.
Javier is a single child and has no siblings. This meant that growing up, all his parent’s attention and care were focused on him.
There is no information about where Javier enrolled for his high school education.
But he has graduated high school, after which he went to the school of Sports education in Havana.
Javier was a very athletic kid, and he was always on the basketball team due to his height.
The athlete initially played in the School’s basketball team, but fate had other plans for him.
He met coach Jose Godoy who saw potential in the boy and approached him for the high jump.
Moreover, Jose Godoy continued to remain his companion throughout the years.
Jose considers himself to be lucky for all the support that he got from his family. He saw their sacrifices so that Javier could excel in life.
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Javier Sotomayor: Personal Life
Javier is a Cuban citizen. Moreover, when it comes to religious faith, he is Christian and is Latin in ethnicity.
Being born in October, Javier is a Libra, an air sign, and they are known to be friendly.
Libra people have traits such as being determined, hardworking, kind, loyal, and humble.
Javier showcases the extroverted side of Libra as he loves being in the crowd making new acquaintances wherever he goes.
Javier was seen traveling all around the globe from one sporting event to another.
He has even been part of many talk shows and loves to greet his fans.
Javier is a very patriotic person. Further, the athlete says that Cuba has all the things you could ask for and is one of the best countries.
Married Life
Javier was married to Maria Del Carmen Garcia. Maria Garcia is a fellow Cuban athlete.
Moreover, there is no information about the exact date of their marriage. Unfortunately, neither has much information about their relationship ever surfaced.
But they got married young and soon went separate ways. They never revealed the actual cause of their divorce, but the differences seem to be irreconcilable.
After being single for some time, Javier soon met the love of his life, Amaya Gonzalez.
Their chemistry was through the roof. So when Javier got on his knees to propose, Amaya, without a doubt, said yes.
The wedding ceremony was private and held in the presence of family and loved ones.
Javier and Amaya do not share their personal life with the media as they hate the limelight.
They have been blessed with four children. All of them are boys.
Javier aspires to be a good dad like his father and is always seen spending quality time with his children.
At the same time, Amaya is the nurturing mother who spends all her days with the kids.
The eldest son of Javier is also training for the high jump and plans to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Javier is overfilled with joy to know that his son is willing to carry on his legacy.
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Javier Sotomayor: Professional Career
By the age of seventeen, the athlete had already set the Junior world record with his 2.33 meters high jump.
Javier earned his first World Indoor Championship medal in 1985 when he came in second.
With his personal best of 2.37 meters, he won the Pan American Games in 1987.
Similarly, in 1988, Javier set the world record of 2.43 meters, but he was unable to participate in the Olympics as Cuba was boycotted from the Olympics.
Javier missed the 1990 season because of an injury, but he returned with a bang when he won the Pan American Games in 1991.
Javier has been the champion of the IAAF World Indoor Championship in four different years. He brought home the gold in 1989, 1993, 1995, and 1999.
When Javier finally got to fulfill his lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics, he was overjoyed. He won gold at the 1992 Olympics.
Sotomayor dominated the 1993 Indoor World Championship in Germany.
Right before his drug scandal broke in the media, Javier had just won the Pan American Games in 1999.
After his suspension was lifted, Sotomayor took home silver at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Then in 2002, Javier announced that he was retiring because of an injury.
Javier Sotomayor: Controversy
Sotomayor has been part of a major doping controversy that almost ended his career.
In 1999, Javier tested positive for cocaine at the Pan American Games. Cuban President Fidel Castro said that it was a set-up by the Cuban Mafia.
Regardless of pleading to be innocent, Javier was suspended for two years according to IAAF rules.
However, Javier claimed his innocence, and months of court hearing led him to be lifted from the ban.
The ban was lifted on the 27th of July in 2000, which meant that he could perform at the 2000 summer Olympics.
IAAF lifted the ban solely because Sotomayor had cooperated with them for multiple drug tests.
But then again, in September 2001, Javier tested positive for doping allegations.
This time it was anabolic steroids. He then released news saying that he was retiring.
IAAF vice president at the time remarked that it was a crystal clear case both times.
But later in 2004, Javier said that he was innocent and said he retired because of an injury on his Achilles tendon.
Javier Sotomayor: Net Worth
Sotomayor was one of the top athletes of his time, which helped him amass a great fortune in his name.
Javier has received many brand endorsement deals and sponsorship opportunities in his days.
javier sotomayor has an estimated net worth of 2.5 million us dollars.
Apart from this, Javier has also earned from his public appearance fees at many sporting events.
Since he has retired, there is no information about the exact figures of his earnings.
But from his net worth, it is pretty clear that he is living a very quality life.
Javier Sotomayor: Physical Appearance
Javier is six feet and four inches tall and weighs around 80 kgs.
Even in his fifties, Javier has maintained a muscular build.
Moreover, it is visible that he has a healthy lifestyle and spends some time at the gym.
The athlete’s exact body measurement has not been revealed yet. Unfortunately, neither is his shoe size.
Javier has brown hair with similar brown eyes. However, his distinct feature is his curly hair.
Javier has a dark skin complexion. He does have a facial beard.
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Javier Sotomayor: Social Media
Javier is quite active on social media. He uses Instagram and Twitter.
His Instagram is not verified, and he has more than two thousand followers.
Moreover, the athlete often shares pictures with different famous athletes and of his glory days.
His Twitter handle is not very active and is not verified. However, it has four hundred followers.
FAQs
Where does the Sanabria come from in Javier’s name?
Sanabria is the family name from his maternal side of the family.
Will Javier ever return to the track?
No, it is unlikely that Javier will ever compete again.
