Cuban athletics legend died at 88

 HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 20 (ACN) It was with deep sorrow that Jit reported the death of Lazaro Aristides Betancourt Mella, a man who left his mark on the Cuban sports system with his passion for athletics.

Born in the western province of Matanzas 88 years ago, he stood out among the pioneers of the King Sport on the Island, to which he dedicated his life after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, the publication stressed.

Thanks to his talent as a runner, he was crowned in the 110-meter hurdles, a specialty in which he competed with the best in the world.

He won several medals in the World University Games, as well as in regional and continental multisport events.

He attended the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, an event in which the Island's track and field made history with the silver medal won by Enrique Figuerola.

Lazaro Betancourt was also part of the Cerro Pelado delegation and was one of the important personalities in the years when the foundations were laid for a system that, through massive practice, would consolidate great results at the universal level.

After closing his stage as a high performance competitor, he dedicated himself to transmitting his knowledge as a coach of the elite team, before assuming the position of national commissioner. For many years he served as advisor to the Cuban federation of that sport.

His knowledge made him a pillar for the preservation and diffusion of the history of athletics in Cuba and the world. He was part of the technical commission of the IAAF -now World Athletics- and received in 2003 the Veteran Button of that organization.

He was among the personalities exalted in 2005 to the Hall of Fame, the Confederation of Athletics of Central America and the Caribbean (Cacac), he collaborated as co-author of several books on topics such as sports training and statistics in athletics.

In regard to the sad news, the president of Cuban Sport Institute (Inder), Osvaldo Vento Montiller, wrote on X: "It deeply hurts the death of Lazaro Aristides Betancourt Mella, an icon of Cuban athletics".