Frank Montiéh (born 19 November 1959) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

who competed in the

400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once a ...

. He was the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...

champion in the event and also the

1982 Central American and Caribbean Games The 14th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 7 to August 18, 1982, and included 2,420 athletes from nineteen nations competing in 25 different sports. Some events were held in Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, an ...

champion. His first major international medal came at the

1977 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 1977 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Heriberto Jara Corona in Xalapa, Mexico between 5–7 August. Medal summary Men's events Women's events A = affected by altitude Medal table R ...

, where at the age of seventeen he was runner-up to fellow Cuban Dámaso Alfonso.Central American and Caribbean Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-10. He followed this with two bronze medals at the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

, finishing behind James Walker and

Antônio Dias Ferreira Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

in the hurdles before teaming up with

Alberto Juantorena Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...

, Pedro Tanis, and Carlos Álvarez to take a

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...

medal. Montiéh ran a time of 50.59 seconds at the

1981 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 1981 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic between 10–12 July. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See ...

, which would have been a championship record were it not for his compatriot Jorge Batista, who edged him by one hundredth of a second. The

were held on home turf in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba, and 22-year-old Montiéh finally ascended to the top of the regional scene with a win over Batista. This returned the title to Cuban hands, ending a twelve-year gap since Juan García's victory. The 1983 season was the peak of Montiéh's career, but also his last at a high level. First came the

held in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, Venezuela. The 1975 400 m hurdles champion, James King, was among the entrants, as was the last edition's runner-up Ferreira of Brazil. Montiéh produced the performance of his lifetime with a run of 50.02 second in the final. This held off Ferreira by six hundredths of a second to claim the 400 m hurdles gold medal for Cuba – the nation's first in the history of the event since its inception in 1951. The final major appearance of his career was at the

1983 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The 1983 Ibero-American Championships (Spanish: ''I Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was an athletics competition which was held at the Estadi Serrahima in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain from 23–25 September 1983. A total of 37 events we ...

, at which he was the hurdles silver medallist behind Spain's José Alonso and a relay gold medallist with a Cuban team of Tomás Pedro González, Lázaro Martínez and Julio Osvaldo Prado.Mansilla, Ignacio (May 2010
EL ATLETISMO IBEROAMERICANO , chapter = BARCELONA - 1983 - RESULTADOS - I CAMPEONATOS IBEROAMERICANOS - Barcelona (Estadio Juan Serrahima) - 23-25 Septiembre 1983

Real Federación Española de Atletismo The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (Spanish: ''Real Federación Española de Atletismo'', RFEA), is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Spain. As of 2020, the federation has 1,411 registered clubs and 89,470 federated athlets. His ...

, pp. 83-88. . Retrieved on 2016-02-10.

International competitions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montieh, Frank Living people 1959 births Cuban male hurdlers Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Athletes (track and field) at the 1983 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games 20th-century Cuban people