Miguelina COBIAN HECHEVARRIA

Miguelina Cobián was described as the most prominent of female athletes in Cuba in the years after the revolution. She was certainly one of the most successful Cuban athletes of all-time, winning no fewer than 20 medals at major championships. Having won silver medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay at the 1963 Pan American Games, she then became the first Cuban to reach an Olympic sprint final when she finished fifth in the 100 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Games. She won the sprint relay gold, and added silver and bronze in the two individual sprints, at the 1967 Pan Am Games and in 1968, along with Marlene Elejarde, Fulgencia Romay and Violeta Quesada won a silver medal in the relay at the Mexico City Olympics. In addition to her Olympic and Pan Am successes, Cobián also won five gold and three silver medals at the three Central American and Caribbean Games between 1962-70, including the 100 metres gold at three consecutive Games. As of the 2018 Games, she remains the only woman to have performed this feat. She also won two silver and three bronze medals at the Summer Universiade, in 1963 and 1965.

During a competition at Panama City in 1970, Cobián suffered an injury that eventually forced her to retire from the sport competitively. She then worked coaching youngsters and also higher standard athletes until her retirement. In 2005 she was inducted into the Central American and Caribbean Confederation Hall of Fame. The talent of Cobián was first spotted by the great Olympic champion Emil Zátopek, who trained her in La Habana for a while when she was 18.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.41 (1968); 200 – 23.39 (1968).