Leinier Savón Pineda (born 21 March 1989) is a Cuban visually impaired sprinter and long jumper. He made his international debut in 2014 and earned two gold medals in the

2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

. He is the cousin of heavyweight boxer Félix Savón.

Early life

Savon Pineda was born visually impaired but was unable to be officially diagnosed until he was more than a year old. During the wait, his mother enrolled him in a sports area but was unable to enter the School of Sports Initiation due to his height. As well, after finishing high school he was unable to enlist due to his visual impairment.

Career

Savon Pineda joined the Cuban national team in 2012, with whom he won the men's 100m and 200m T12 at the

2015 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships were a Paralympic track and field meet organized by the World Para Athletics subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. The event was the 7th edition of what is now known as the World Para ...

and the men's 100m and 200m T12 at the

2015 Parapan American Games The 2015 Parapan American Games, officially the V Parapan American Games and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 ParaPan-Am Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Pa ...

. He also set a new Americas record during the Championships with a time of 22.14. Following the Championship, Savon Pineda qualified for the

, where he won two more gold medals in the men's 100m T1 and 200m T12. The following year, Savon Pineda took home another gold medal in the Men's 100m T12 at the

2017 World Para Athletics Championships The 2017 World Para Athletics Championships were a Paralympic track and field meet organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. It was held at London Stadium in London from 14 to 23 July 2017. It wa ...

Personal life

Savon Pineda is the cousin of heavyweight boxer Félix Savón.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Savon Pineda, Leinier Living people 1989 births Sportspeople from Guantánamo Cuban male sprinters Cuban male long jumpers Paralympic athletes for Cuba Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Cuba Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Parapan American Games World Para Athletics Championships winners