A decorated Cuban athlete and coach, Eloína Calixta Echeverría Torriente, better known as Eloína Echeverría, passed away on March 30, 2025, at the age of 63.
However, the prime reason behind her demise remains concealed. Meanwhile, her family has yet to break the silence about her passing.
One of Cubas’s most celebrated athletes, Eloína Echeverría, was born on August 23, 1961. She reigned as the national champion in the long and triple jumps for 15 consecutive years.
Echeverria recorded a personal best of 6.59 meters in the long jump in 1979, and she set the record of 14.34 meters in the triple jump in 1995.
Above all, these records not only secured her place in Cuban record books for seven seasons but also earned her multiple coveted medals, including Caribbean Games and more.
Eloína participated in four Pan American Games, winning two silver and two bronze medals in the long jump, including a Bronze Medal at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
She won a Gold Medal in the National 1st Category in Havana in 1983 and Gold Medals at the Barriento Memorial in Havana in both 1983 and 1991.
Additionally, she secured a Silver Medal at the Central American Sports Games held in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1993.
Her passion for sports was evident in her life and extended beyond her competitive years. After retiring from active competition, she turned her talents to coaching.
She joined the Nicaraguan Athletics Federation’s coaching team for the Managua 2017 Central American Games and played an important role in supporting the sport’s growth.
Her journey to Managua for the 2017 Central American Games marked the beginning of a new chapter.
In Pedro Betancourt, her contributions were celebrated earlier this year in the “Women in Sports” exhibition at the Héctor Mederos Argüelles Sports Museum.
Launched on March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day, the exhibit featured medals, photographs, and awards from her career, alongside those of other local heroines like Beatriz Jenkis and Regla Hernández.
Historian Emilio Morales Álvarez and handball star Biviana Pérez Pérez praised her achievements and passion for motivating young athletes.
Meanwhile, we offer our deepest condolences to her extended family.
