Two emblematic figures of athletics, Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor and Brazilian volleyball player Giba, will be honored this Wednesday as Ibero-American sporting legends.
Sotomayor will be bestowed with the GLORIA Award: Legend of Ibero-American Sport. The reasons are more than eloquent. More than three decades later, his high jump record of 2.45 meters remains unshaken.
Born in Limonar, in the western Cuban province of Matanzas, on October 13, 1967, he strung together a brilliant career in athletics.
The jury of the GLORIA Awards, an initiative being held for the first time in history by SSM-Sports Summit Madrid, reveres him as a legend.
A total of 20 honorees will be recognized in 13 categories at a ceremony taking place at the Teatro Albéniz in Madrid.
On July 27, 1993, in Salamanca, Spain, he set the high jump record that celebrates 32 years of validity.
Gold medalist at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and silver medalist in Sydney 2000, Sotomayor will be joined by figures such as former coach Toni Nadal, the Club América football team of Mexico, Juan Antonio Samaranch (son), and former Brazilian volleyball player Giba.
Gilberto Godoy Filho, known as Giba, one of the great cornerstones of Brazilian volleyball, was Olympic Champion and MVP in Athens 2004, silver medalist in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Three-time world champion. Best volleyball player in history.
He will receive the GLORIA Award for Education and Training in Sport, for his work after retiring as an athlete.
Also highlighted in the list are the GLORIA Award for Sports Excellence to the AFA- Argentine Football Association, for its successes in national teams, innovation, and global leadership, and the GLORIA Award for Sustainability in Sport to the Tigres Foundation (Mexico), the social arm of the Club Tigres of Monterrey that promotes education, inclusion, and sustainability.
(Taken from Prensa Latina)
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