The legendary Cuban runner Alberto Juantorena was named Honorary Member of the Council of World Athletics (WA) and also received the Gold Order of Merit, the highest distinction awarded by the governing body of world athletics.
At the closing of the WA congress prior to the World Athletics Championships that starts tomorrow in Hungary, the British Sebastian Coe, head of the entity, made the announcement and accompanied it with praise for the sporting merits of the two-time Montreal’76 Olympic champion.
Coe also referred to the Juantorena’s contribution to the development of this sport.
The mythical athlete from Santiago he presided over the Cuban Federation and held one of the vice presidencies of Inder for almost three decades. He was also a member of the WA (formerly IAAF) World Council from 1987 to this year, and was its vice-president between 2015 and 2019.
“We will look for the opportunity for him to receive these awards in the best possible circumstances,” said Coe, the 1500-meter summer champion in 1980 and 1984.
The expert Sergey Bubka, another undisputed star of the universal field and track, was deserving of a similar tribute.
A year agothe 72-year-old Cuban star was reported in critical condition at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana, suffering from dengue fever and post-Covid-19 syndrome.
