Silvio Leonard

Silvio Leonard Sarría also known as Silvio Leonard Tartabull (born September 20, 1955 in Cienfuegos) is a former sprinter from Cuba.

Career

Leonard first announced his talent when he set a new Cuban 100 m national junior record in 1973 with a time of 10.24 s. Leonard was successful in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games winning the 100 and 200 m double. He came to the attention of the world when he equalled the then world record for a 100 m with a hand-timing of 9.9 s on 5 June 1975 in Ostrava.

Leonard was three-time Pan American Games champion, 1975 100 and 1979 100/200. When winning the title in 1975 he suffered a calamity that could seem comical if it were not for the fact that the outcome for Leonard could have been even worse. Whilst celebrating his win, he fell into the moat around the track. The injury he suffered to his back required surgery and severely hampered his preparations for the 1976 Olympics. In the race itself, Leonard defeated the Trinidadian Hasely Crawford who was to win the Olympic 100 m title the following year.