6 months ago
2
World grounds holder precocious jumper Javier Sotomayor connected Saturday (November 22, 2025) said that subject and mindset, not facilities alone, determine the occurrence of an athlete, and urged the Indian youngsters to bash the same.
The Cuban fable said India is presently astatine the close signifier to nutrient world-class athletes but added that the thrust has to travel from within.
The 1992 Olympic champion, whose 2.45m precocious leap grounds inactive stands, said determination is nary fixed look to interruption records. He insisted that clip is ripe for India to marque a breakthrough successful athletics.
“I frankly don’t person the reply to however idiosyncratic tin interruption the record, but if astatine each a grounds should beryllium broken, it should beryllium now," Sotomayor said successful an enactment with PTI Videos connected the sidelines of the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival successful New Delhi.
“All the conditions are ideal. There is exertion now, determination is enactment now. All you request is discipline. Once you person the discipline, you tin person the result,” helium said.
He highlighted subject and intelligence spot arsenic the 2 non-negotiables for immoderate jock seeking world-class consistency.
“It depends connected the person; it changes from idiosyncratic to person. The archetypal happening is the mentality and past each the enactment comes in. The structure, the grooming — each that comes successful later,” Sotomayor said.
“It truly depends connected the jock and however they privation to excel.”
The 58-year-old reminded that elite show is built implicit years of commitment, and outer information tin lone spark, not sustain, a career.
“Athletes are not made successful a day, oregon with a fewer words of mine. It takes them years,” helium said.
“I tin conscionable springiness them a flimsy propulsion oregon bully advice, but aft that it is their ain journey. A connection of encouragement helps. There were radical who encouraged me, truthful I tin besides bash the aforesaid and effort to springiness them a propulsion and benignant of animate them.” Talking astir the event, helium said, “It is the archetypal clip I americium participating successful a lit sports festival, and it’s an honour to beryllium invited to New Delhi.
“I would similar to stock my acquisition arsenic an jock and what it continues to mean for us,” helium added.
