Cuban Track Legend Bids Farewell

The song "Cuando un amigo se va" by Argentine singer-songwriter Alberto Cortez captures the essence of loss when someone like Hermes Ramírez says goodbye. Sadly, the Olympic silver medalist from the 1968 Mexico City Games couldn't win his final race in life, despite his valiant effort.

Born in Guantánamo 76 years ago, Hermes was part of an early generation of Cuban track and field athletes that included Enrique Figuerola, Miguelina Cobián, Pablo Montes, Juan Morales, and Marlene Elejalde, among others. This generation was driven by pure passion for competing and winning for the flag, without any materialistic ambitions—a generation of dreamers.

Hermes was one of the most articulate and intelligent individuals I had the pleasure of interviewing. He always had a pleasant way of expressing himself. Reflecting on some of our conversations, which felt more like friendly chats, is a tribute to him.

Memories of Unity and Dedication

He often spoke about the unity that existed during his time: "Life changes, situations change, and the environment surrounding sports is not the same. For instance, once, Professor Riverí—do you remember him, the one who coached discus throwers Maritza Martén and Luis Mariano Delís—came up to me to point out that the starting block of one of my runners was too high, even though I was the coach. Can you believe it? A throwing coach noticed something I didn't see and helped me! That's how we all were, one big family. Now…?"

And, of course, talking to Hermes without reminiscing about his illustrious sports career was impossible. How did this Cuban athletics legend begin his journey?

"It's true that I was born in Guantánamo, but I lived in Havana since I was four. At 12, while I was at a boarding school in Tarará, they came to do some LPV (Ready to Win) tests. In the 100 meters race, running in tennis shoes on a concrete street, I clocked 12 seconds flat. The following year, at an inter-boarding school competition at the Pedro Marrero Stadium, running on clay, I finished second with 11.8 seconds, manually timed, of course. The winner was Duquesne, who was already at the Technological Institute; I was just a kid. That's how I competed in what would be the first National School Games in 1963. At that time, I was studying in Barlovento under the guidance of the prestigious coach José Cheo Salazar. I clocked 11 seconds flat in the 100 meters and 23.2 in the 200 meters."

Rising Through the Ranks

What happened after those first National Games?

"I was studying at the Secondary School Lazo de la Vega, the former Ursulinas of Miramar, when Rolando Gregorio Lavastida contacted me and started officially training me in 1964. During that period, I competed in the second National School Games, winning the 100 and 200 meters and finishing second in the 4x100 relay. Then came one of the most bitter moments of my life.

While the school event was taking place, the trials for the Tokyo Olympics were also happening. To qualify, the minimum mark in the 100 meters was 10.4 seconds, and guess what? At 16, I achieved it alongside Manuel Montalvo. You can imagine my joy, but—why is there always a but?—the then-president of INDER, José Llanusa, decided my youth was a disadvantage and prevented me from attending, thus depriving me of the chance to have four Olympics in my resume.

However, I didn't let that discourage me. In 1965, I was the best junior athlete nationwide across all sports, which secured my spot on the national team, where I remained for 12 years from 1964 to 1976."

As we can see, Hermes Ramírez's life is worth telling and, more importantly, should be known and respected by all newcomers to Cuban athletics. Two Central American and Caribbean Games: San Juan 66 and Panama 70; three Pan American Games: Winnipeg 67, Cali 71, and Mexico 75, as well as three Olympics: Mexico 68, Munich 72, and Montreal 76, attest to an impressive legacy in an era without World Championships or Diamond Leagues.

In Mexico 68, Hermes equaled the then Olympic record for the 100 meters with 10 seconds flat in the quarterfinals, although he couldn't advance beyond the semifinals due to a high fever. However, he did run in the relays, and in the final, with 38.3 seconds, Hermes Ramírez, Juan Morales, Pablo Montes, and Enrique Figuerola stood on the podium behind the U.S. (38.2 seconds). Hermes loved to recall that race.

"We were the season's underdogs, breaking the world record in the semifinals with 38.75 seconds. We were led by the experienced Lázaro Betancourt, who, along with Irolán and the Polish coach Porchovoski, handled the tactics: relay team members, who would run each leg, prior training…

We were six: Enrique Figuerola, Pablo Montes, Bárbaro Bandomo, Félix Urgellés, Juan Morales, and me. At the Games venue, it was decided that Enrique would be the last man and that Bandomo, a strong sprinter with excellent times of 10.2 and 10.3 and a flying speed of 9.05, wouldn't be in the relay. History weighed in, although we were never frustrated.

Frustrated? No! We won a medal; that was the goal, but… we could have reached the top of that podium. We set a national record of 38.4 seconds, which stood until Barcelona 92: 24 years! But we could have won."

Hermes Ramírez spent 12 years on the national team, setting three 10-second flat records in meets in Zurich 69 and Prague 71 and 72; a 20.83-second record in the 200 meters in Warsaw 72, and the 38.4 seconds in the 4x100 relay in Mexico 68.

After retiring from active sports, Hermes became a coach and always lamented witnessing the decline in the speed of Cuban athletics.

"Speed is the result of a good base of general and special endurance. In my time, we had to run up to 400 meters in training. I remember one day, Irolán came and said so nonchalantly: 'Today you have 10,000 meters'... And I had to run them. Tell any of the young athletes now to do it, and you'll see their response: 'Are you crazy?' That's not how you build a solid base for sprinters."

Hermes Ramírez, who took pride in having three children, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and the descendants of his beloved wife Mercedes, has passed away. He loved his sport and always wished the best for Cuban athletes, wherever they were.

I had the honor of hosting him at my home days before the start of the Paris Olympics. Among other things, he predicted that three Cubans would be on the podium in the triple jump competing for other countries, the pressure the triple jumpers could face, and the almost certain possibility that Cuban athletics would leave without medals.

He spoke of Mijaín López carrying the torch for Cuban sports and mentioned that without Professor Veitía, the women's judo team wouldn't achieve anything, highlighting the evident decline of boxing.

A devoted lover of Cuban sports and passionate about his athletics, rest in peace, dear Hermes, brother, and friend of many years.