Rafael Emilio Fortún Chacón (born August 5, 1919, in

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by S ...

– died June 22, 1982, in Camagüey) was a male sprinter from

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 ...

, who twice competed for his native country at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

: 1948 and 1952. His major sporting achievement was winning the 100 and 200 m double at the 1951 Pan American Games, beating American sprinter Art Bragg in both events. Fortun was ranked by the experts of

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

as 10th in the world in 1950 at 100 m and 5th in 1951. Fortun was a very successful competitor at the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

. He won the 100 m 3 times in row (1946, 1950 and 1954) - the first competitor to achieve such a feat. He also won the 200 m once (in 1946) and was second once (in 1950). Fortun came from a very humble background in the Cuban province of Camaguey. Originally he was a high jumper but moved the sprints when he realised his talent for them. He also played baseball, a traditional sporting route out of poverty in Cuba at the time. Fortun had to train barefoot until a gift of sporting shoes was made by a local priest. His athletic talent was not appreciated by the authorities in Cuba at the time. He had to seek gifts of money to enable him to attend the Olympic Games of 1948 and 1952 and was fired from his job at the Ministry of Public Affairs for attending the 1951 Pan American Games. Fortun died of cancer in 1982. Today his achievements are appreciated more in Cuba, his memory is honoured, for example, in an athletics competition in his home province of Camaguey: the Rafael Fortun Memorial competition in Camaguey City.

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortun, Rafael 1919 births 1982 deaths Cuban male sprinters Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games silver medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1951 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1955 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Cuba Sportspeople from Camagüey Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games 20th-century Cuban people