Jaime Jefferson

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Jaime Jefferson
Personal information
Born (1962-01-17) January 17, 1962 (age 62)
Guantanamo, Cuba
Medal record
Men's
Athletics
Representing  Cuba
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1983 Caracas Long Jump
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana Long Jump

Jaime Jefferson Guilarte (Spanish pronunciation:

Ivan Pedroso
, he was also capable of big jumps, taking more international medals in a career that spanned for over a decade.

Career

His first notable success were 1983 Pan-American Games in Caracas where he won the gold. Jefferson improved his long jump personal best to 8.37m in 1984, but was deprived of competing at the L.A. Olympics through Cuban boycott. Over the next decade and a half, he amassed several medals from Central American Games and Championships, winning the golds at Champs in 1985 and CAC Games in 1986. Jaime also won two golds at World University Games - first in Kobe in 1985, second in Duisburg in 1989. At the Pan-American Games in Indianapolis in 1987, he improved his PB to 8.51m to collect bronze medal behind Carl Lewis and Larry Myricks (both USA), but couldn't reproduce that at the World Championships in Rome finishing 6th with 8.14m. 1988 was again frustrating because of another Olympic Cuban boycott, but Jaime continued to compete with even more success in 90's. He recorded his career best long jump of 8.53m in 1990 and had great season in 1991, winning silver at the World Indoor Championships in Seville and reclaiming Pan-American title he lost in 1987, winning in his home country in Havana with 8.26m. Only disappointment of the season was subpar 9th-place finish in the greatest long jump competition ever, World Championships in Tokyo. Next season finally brought Jefferson's first Olympic appearance and he finished creditable 5th in Barcelona, again behind great Carl Lewis. Jaime added World Indoor bronze in 1993 at Toronto, but his career was obviously on the wane in his thirties as he was unable to qualify for the final in major outings 1993 and 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Jaime Jefferson won his final international medal at 1997 CAC Championships in San Juan where he finished behind his famous compatriot Ivan Pedroso, by then World's finest long jumper, and retired at the end of the season.

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Cuba
1983 Central American and Caribbean Championships
Havana, Cuba
3rd Long jump 8.03 m
Pan American Games
Caracas, Venezuela
1st Long jump 8.03 m
Ibero-American Championships
Barcelona, Spain
1st Long jump 7.93 m
1985 Central American and Caribbean Championships Nassau, Bahamas 1st Long jump 8.13 m
Universiade
Kobe, Japan
1st Long jump 8.07 m
1986 Central American and Caribbean Games Santiago, Dominican Republic 1st Long jump 8.34 m
1987 World Indoor Championships
Indianapolis, United States
10th Long jump 7.78 m
Pan American Games
Indianapolis, United States
3rd Long jump 8.51 m
World Championships
Rome, Italy
6th Long jump 8.14 m
1988 Ibero-American Championships
Mexico City, Mexico
1st Long jump 8.37 m
1989 World Indoor Championships
Budapest, Hungary
5th Long jump 7.96 m
Central American and Caribbean Championships San Juan, Puerto Rico 2nd 4 × 100 m relay 39.89 s
1st Long jump 7.96 m
Universiade
Duisburg, West Germany
1st Long jump 7.98 m
World Cup
Barcelona, Spain
8th Long jump 6.52 m1
1990 Goodwill Games
Seattle, United States
6th Long jump 7.98 m
Central American and Caribbean Games
Mexico City, Mexico
2nd Long jump 8.06 m
1991 World Indoor Championships
Seville, Spain
2nd Long jump 8.04 m
Pan American Games
Havana, Cuba
1st Long jump 8.26 m
World Championships
Tokyo, Japan
9th Long jump 7.94 m
1992 Olympic Games
Barcelona, Spain
5th Long jump 8.08 m
1993 World Indoor Championships
Toronto, Canada
3rd Long jump 7.98 m
World Championships
Stuttgart, Germany
15th (q) Long jump 7.86 m
Central American and Caribbean Games Ponce, Puerto Rico 3rd Long jump 7.85 m
1994 Ibero-American Championships
Mar del Plata, Argentina
1st Long jump 7.82 m (w)
1995 Pan American Games
Mar del Plata, Argentina
2nd Long jump 8.23 m
World Championships
Gothenburg, Sweden
21st (q) Long jump 7.84 m
1996 Ibero-American Championships
Medellín, Colombia
2nd Long jump 8.28 m (w)
Olympic Games
Atlanta, United States
31st (q) Long jump 7.65 m
1997 Central American and Caribbean Championships San Juan, Puerto Rico 2nd Long jump 8.01 m (w)

1Representing the Americas

References