Michael Herrera (born 5 June 1985) 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 ...

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

er who specialises in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

. He has a personal best of 20.31 seconds for the event and has also recorded 10.16 seconds for the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

. He was a semi-finalist at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in th ...

and has represented Cuba at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

in 2007 and 2011.

Biography

Born in

Los Palacios Los Palacios () is a municipality and town in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1760. Geography The municipality is divided into the barrios of Limones, Macurijes, Paso Real, Santa Mónica, Santo Domingo, Sierra and Urbano. ...

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...

, he began competing at the senior level in 2005 and finished third in both the 100 m and 200 m at the Cuban Championships that year. He won the 200 m and the 4×100 metres relay at the 2005 ALBA Games. He was selected for these events at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships and came sixth and fourth, respectively. He won the 200 m at the

Barrientos Memorial The Barrientos Memorial ( es, Memorial José Barrientos) is an annual track and field meeting in Havana, Cuba each May. The event was first held in 1946, in recognition of José Barrientos (a former Cuban Olympic sprinter), who died in an aviation ...

in 2006. He reached the semi-finals of both the sprints at the

2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics The 4th NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on July 7–9, 2006. A detailed report on the results was given. Medal summary Medal winners are published. Complete results can be found on t ...

. At the 2006 CAC Games he helped the relay team to fourth (running alongside Yoel Hernández and

Dayron Robles Dayron Robles (born 19 November 1986) is a Cuban track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles. He won his first major medal (a silver) in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 se ...

) and was a 200 m semi-finalist.Michel Herrera
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2012-07-17. Herrera defended both his titles at the 2007 ALBA Games 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 ...

and ran a personal best of 20.31 seconds. He was a finalist in the 200 m at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Com ...

and helped the relay team reach the final. He only had a season's best of 20.81 seconds in 2008 and did not compete internationally.Hererra Michael
IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-07-17. Herrera switched his focus to the 100 m event in the 2009 season and was rewarded with a personal best of 10.16 seconds, wins at the Barrientos Memorial and the 2009 ALBA Games. He placed seventh in the final at the 2009 CAC Championships. A quiet 2010 was highlighted by a 100 m win at the Barrientos Memorial with a hand-timed 9.7 seconds. He began doubling up in the sprint events for the 2011 season and won both events at the Barrientos meet. He won

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

s in both events at the 2011 ALBA Games and helped Cuba take the relay title. His season's best of 20.52 seconds for the 200 m was enough for a place on the Cuban team for the

and ended the competition in fourth in the semi-finals. He was also selected for the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

and was a semi-finalist in both the individual sprints, as well as running Cuba to fourth in the relay final with

Roberto Skyers Roberto Skyers Pérez (born 12 November 1991 in Minas, Camagüey) is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the sprinting events. He won the gold medal in the 200 metres at the 2011 Pan American Games. His personal bests are 9.98 seconds ...

. In 2012 he placed fifth in the 200 m at the Ibero-American Championships, and a run of 20.64 seconds 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.

gained him a place in the Cuban squad for the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

.Cuba announces team of 47 for London Games
IAAF (2012-07-16). Retrieved on 2012-07-16.

Personal best

*100 m: 10.16 s (wind: -1.3 m/s) –

La Habana 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.

, 23 April 2009 *200 m: 20.31 s (wind: +2.0 m/s) –

, 11 May 2007

Achievements

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Michael Living people 1985 births Cuban male sprinters Pan American Games competitors for Cuba Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games People from Pinar del Río Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Cuba 20th-century Cuban people 21st-century Cuban people