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Javier Sotomayor Trivia Questions

How much do you really know about Javier Sotomayor? Below are 8 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.

1.

Sotomayor retired from athletics immediately after his doping ban in 1999.

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Easy
✗ FALSE

He returned after his ban and competed until 2001, even winning an Olympic silver medal in Sydney 2000.

2.

Sotomayor originally trained as a basketball player before switching to high jump.

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Easy
✓ TRUE

He played basketball as a teenager in Cuba, which helped develop his explosive jumping ability before focusing on track and field.

3.

Sotomayor never won an Olympic gold medal in the high jump.

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Easy
✗ FALSE

He won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, clearing 2.34m. He also earned silver in 2000, so he did win Olympic gold.

4.

Sotomayor was banned from competition for testing positive for a banned stimulant.

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Medium
✓ TRUE

In 1999, he tested positive for cocaine at the Pan American Games, resulting in a two-year ban that was later reduced.

5.

Sotomayor is the only high jumper to have cleared both 2.40 meters indoors and outdoors.

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Medium
✗ FALSE

False. Other jumpers like Mutaz Essa Barshim (outdoor 2.43m, indoor 2.41m) and Bohdan Bondarenko (outdoor 2.42m, indoor 2.41m) have also cleared 2.40m in both settings. Sotomayor is not the only one.

6.

Javier Sotomayor's world record in the high jump has stood for over three decades without being broken.

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Medium
✓ TRUE

He set the outdoor record of 2.45m in 1993, and it remains unbroken as of 2024, making it one of athletics' longest-standing records.

7.

Sotomayor's indoor world record of 2.43 meters was set at the World Indoor Championships.

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Hard
✓ TRUE

Javier Sotomayor set the indoor high jump record of 2.43m at the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

8.

Javier Sotomayor's official outdoor high jump world record is 2.46 meters.

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Hard
✗ FALSE

His official outdoor world record, set in 1993, is 2.45 meters. He did clear 2.46 meters indoors in 1989, but that is an indoor mark.

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