Juan Francisco Centelles

During the first half of the 1980s Juan Francisco Centelles was one of the best high jumpers in Cuba. In 1979 Centelles competed in the event at the Pan American Games, where he just missed out on a medal after finishing fourth. This earned him a place at the 1980 Moskva Olympics, but he had a disappointing performance after failing to advance from the qualification round. After the Games he then put together a string of performances to win medals at other major competitions, starting with gold at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games. The following year he had his best performance when he won gold at the Pan American Games in Caracas, setting a Cuban record of 2.32 metres in the process. Centelles then won silver at the 1985 Summer Universiade before retaining his title at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1986.

Personal Best: HJ – 2.32 (1983).