Pedro Damián Pérez Dueñas (; February 23, 1952 – July 18, 2018) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

er, who set the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in the men's triple jump event on August 5, 1971, jumping 17.40 metres, while still a 19-year-old Junior athlete, in the final of the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. His mark was a centimeter improvement over the three-year-old record of Viktor Sanyeyev set as the last of 5 world record improvements during the 1968 Olympics emphasizing the advantage of jumping at altitude. Cali, Colombia is also considered at altitude. While Sanyeyev reclaimed the record at sea level in

Sukhumi Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...

, the next record in succession by João Carlos de Oliveira was also set at altitude in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and lasted ten more years. While he was the standing world record holder during the 1972 Olympics, he only managed a 15.72 and did not get out of the qualifying round. He improved four years later, taking the early lead in the final before eventually finishing in fourth place. Pérez was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba. He died on July 18, 2018, at the age of 66.

International competitions

References

External links

1971 Year Ranking

1952 births 2018 deaths Sportspeople from Pinar del Río Cuban male triple jumpers Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games Olympic athletes for Cuba Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) World record setters in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games 20th-century Cuban sportsmen {{Cuba-athletics-bio-stub