Lázaro Martínez (triple jumper)

Martínez was born to former 400 metres runner Isabel Contreras. He initially practised several sports, including basketball and judo, until he was about 10 years old. It was his mother who encouraged him to take up athletics and linked him up with a friend and coach.

Martínez has stated that he initially did not like athletics, but after doing a test with the said coach he was told he had the potential to enter the provincial sports school. He began specialising in the jumps under the supervision of coach Manuel Guilarte, whom he credits for instilling in him the love of athletics.[1]

At the 2013 World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Martínez equalled the World Youth Championship record set by compatriot Héctor Dairo Fuentes in 2005 with an attempt of 16.63 m in the fourth round, earning him his first major gold medal.

Martínez's record-breaking continued into 2014, as he jumped a world youth best of 17.24 m in front of a home crowd in the Cuban capital Havana. He then broke the World Junior Championship record twice at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, jumping 17.08 m with a 0.6 m/s headwind on his first attempt and 17.13 m with a 0.7 m/s headwind on his second attempt. He became the fourth Cuban world junior champion in the triple jump after Yoelbi Quesada in 1992, René Hernández in 1996, Arnie David Giralt in 2002 and Pedro Pablo Pichardo in 2012.[1][3]

• Lázaro Martínez at World Athletics
• Lázaro Martínez at All-Athletics.com
• Tilastopaja biography

Records
Preceded by Gu Junjie	World youth record holder – Boys' triple jump 1 February 2014–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Yoelbi Quesada	World Junior Championship record holder – Men's triple jump 27 July 2014–present	Incumbent
Sporting positions
Preceded by Latario Collie-Minns	World Youth Champion – Boys' triple jump 13 July 2013–present	Succeeded by Cristian Atanay Nápoles
Preceded by Pedro Pablo Pichardo	World Junior Champion – Men's triple jump 27 July 2014–present	Succeeded by Incumbent