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The former Cuban athlete Alberto Juantorena is reportedly in serious health condition, according to sports commentator Héctor Villar in a post on .
The reporter stated that, "according to sources," the two-time Olympic champion is in critical condition.
"The great Juantorena is in serious health condition," wrote Villar, also sending wishes for recovery to what he described as an "emblematic figure of Cuban sport."
Villar's publication adds to previous reports about the physical decline of the former athlete.
According to journalist Yasel Porto, who also claimed to have consulted close sources, Juantorena suffers from a neurodegenerative disease and his condition has shown "no recent progression."
Porto stated that the double Olympic champion, who is 75 years old, “has not stopped fighting for his life,” despite the fact that his condition is degenerative.
According to that same version, it is highly unlikely that Juantorena will appear at public events again.
Porto stated that the few known images depict "very delicate" conditions and even mentioned that he received a recent photograph that he chose not to share due to its startling physical condition.
He also pointed out that diseases that directly affect the neurological system tend to be extremely complex and rarely allow for significant recovery.
A gradual deterioration of his health
Reports about his health have been accumulating for over a year.
In December 2024, a photo exclusively obtained by CubaNet revealed a significant physical decline of the former athlete: he appeared extremely thin and was seated in a wheelchair.
Months earlier, in April of that same year, that outlet had already published another image in which Juantorena was also in a wheelchair, accompanied by Roberto Vargas Lee, director of the Cuban School of Wushu.
Based on testimonies from sources connected to Cuban athletics, CubaNet reported that Juantorena still required a wheelchair even to move around his home and that he was experiencing speech abnormalities.
A former official quoted by that media outlet summarized the situation with one phrase: "It remains complicated."
The deterioration, moreover, would not be recent. Back in November 2023, the same outlet had reported that the health of the former athlete had declined, and that he was experiencing difficulties speaking, in addition to relying on a wheelchair.
Before that, in August 2022, Juantorena was reported to be in critical condition at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana, suffering from dengue and post-COVID-19 syndrome.
His last public appearance was in March 2023, during a meeting with the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, at the Pan American Stadium in Havana. On that occasion, he was seen apparently in good health.
Despite his gradual withdrawal from public life, Juantorena continued to receive accolades. In August 2023, he was named Honorary Member of the World Athletics Council and also received the Gold Merit Order, the highest distinction from the governing body of world athletics.
Alberto Juantorena, a two-time Olympic champion in Montreal 1976, presided over the Cuban Athletics Federation and held one of the vice presidencies of INDER for nearly three decades. He also was a member of the World Athletics Council—formerly known as IAAF—from 1987 until this year, and served as vice president of that organization from 2015 to 2019.
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