Guantanamo.- Next July 25 will mark the 44th anniversary of a momentous event when María Caridad Colón Ruenes, with javelin in hand, threw 68.40 meters in her first attempt to become the first Latin American Olympic Champion in Moscow 80.
The 22-year-old athlete ensured in her first attempt the gold medal and surprised her strongest rivals Ruth Fuchs, then considered the best in her specialty on the planet, as well as Ute Hommola, Uteh Richter, Tatiana Biryulina and Saida Gumba.
María Caridad Colón set an Olympic record and with that throw, from the very beginning of the competition she took the other competitors out of the way.
That first throw was the decisive one, because then, the Guantanamera woman lowered her records: 64.58; 62.70; 66.02 and 63.06 meters.
The Guantanamo athlete obtained other victories in her sports career such as the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1979 and Caracas, 1983. She achieved the silver medal in Indianapolis, United States, 1987.
While in the Central American and Caribbean Games she had an excellent performance with three gold medals, first in Medellín 1978, later in Havana 1982 and Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 1986.
Due to her great achievements, she was included into the Hall of Fame of the Central American and Caribbean Athletics Confederation in 2003 and is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Translated by Liubis Balart
