Pedro Pérez

Who is Pedro Pérez?

Pedro Damián Pérez Dueñas is a retired triple jumper from Cuba. He set the world record in the men's triple jump event on August 5, 1971, jumping 17.40 metres, while still a 19 year old Junior athlete, in the final of the Pan American Games. His mark was a centimeter improvement over the three year old record of Viktor Sanyeyev set as the last of 5 world record improvements during the 1968 Olympics emphasizing the advantage of jumping at altitude. Cali, Colombia is also considered at altitude. While Sanyeyev reclaimed the record at sea level in Sukhumi, the next record in succession by João Carlos de Oliveira was also set at altitude in Mexico City and lasted ten more years.

While he was the standing world record holder during the 1972 Olympics, he only managed a 15.72 and did not get out of the qualifying round. Four years later he was decidedly more competitive, taking the early lead in the final, slowly dissipating into 4th place.