Full name Andy Gonzalez Nunez Role Olympic athlete Country Cuba Height 1.82 m | Sport Athletics Weight 70 kg Name Andy Gonzalez | |
Born 17 October 1987 (age 36) ( 1987-10-17 ) Plaza de la Revolucion, La Habana, Cuba | ||
Andy González Núñez (born 17 October 1987 in Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana) is a Cuban middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He was the gold medalist in the event at the 2011 Pan American Games. He represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
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Biography
González emerged as an international level runner in 2006. That year he ran 1:47.5 minutes for the 800 m and a national junior record of 3:42.6 minutes for the 1500 metres. He was chosen to represent Cuba at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games and he surprised by winning the 800 m gold medal, defeating Sherridan Kirk and running a time of 1:46.26 minutes (the fastest ever by a Central American and Caribbean junior). He was one of the highest ranked runners to enter the 800 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, but he was off-form in the final and finished eighth in a time of 1:53.61 minutes.
The following year he competed at the 2007 Pan American Games and came fifth in the 800 m final – an event which was won by his more experienced compatriot Yeimer López. At the start of 2008 he ran a personal best of 1:45.3 minutes for the 800 m in Havana. He then set a championship record to win the event at the 2008 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics and achieved the same feat at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships. González received his first call-up to the Cuban Olympic team and was narrowly eliminated in the first round of the 800 m – he was the fastest runner not to qualify.
In 2009, he came runner-up to Yeimer López at the national Barrientos Memorial meet in Havana. The city hosted the 2009 CAC Championships in July and an attempt to defend his 800 m title resulted in duel between him and López, but González again finished behind his fellow Cuban. He improved his 1500 m running in 2010, taking the title at the Barrientos Memorial and finishing the year with a new personal best of 3:40.94 minutes. He also achieved a season's best of 1:45.40 minutes for the 800 m that year.
González returned to international competition in 2011 and had a highly successful year. He ran his season's best of 1:45.67 minutes at the Barrientos Memorial, although he was narrowly pipped to the title by the emerging Raidel Acea. The 2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics saw him return to the top of the podium as he beat Haiti's Moise Joseph to win his second 800 m title at the competition. At the 2011 Pan American Games in October, he outran Brazil's Kleberson Davide in the final straight to claim his first major 800 m title.