Leonel Suarez (1)

Oct 17, 2026

Leonel Suarez won Olympic decathlon bronze in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, alongside World Championships silver in Berlin 2009 and bronze in Daegu 2011. The Cuban set a national record of 8654 points in Havana 2009 and claimed Pan American Games gold in Guadalajara 2011.

Leonel Suarez is widely recognized as Cuba’s greatest decathlete - Decathlon 2000
Cuba

Date of birth: 01 September 1987
Place of birth: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Height: 180 cm / Weight: 78 kg
Decathlon: 8654 NR Havana 2009
Heptathlon: 5964 NR Tallinn 2010 ICEM
View Leonel Suarez's full career
Get Premium to view full career

Leonel Suarez consistently performed at top international level: Olympic podiums in 2008 & 2012, World Championship medals in 2009 & 2011, plus continental titles at CAC Games and Pan‑Am Games.

Personal bests
100 m (<=2.0 m/s)	10,90 (-0.6)	Beijing 2008
100 m (>2.0 m/s)	10,6 (+3.1) h	Havana 2008
Long jump	7.52 (+0.5)	London 2012
Shot put	15.20	Berlin 2009
High jump	2.17	Havana 2008
400 m	47,65	Havana 2009
110 m hurdles	14,12 (+2.0)	Ratingen 2008
Discus throw	47.32	Havana 2011
Pole vault	5.00	Berlin 2009
Javelin throw	78.29	Havana 2016
1500 m	4.16,70	Götzis 2008
Total points based on PB	9062	Includes wind-assisted bests
Total 10 best decathlons	84984	Sum of ten highest decathlon scores
Personal bests indoors
60 m	7,11	Sevilla 2009
60 m hurdles	7,90	Göteborg 2010
1000 m	2.36,12	Tallinn 2010 ICEM
Indoor total points PB	6383

Decathlons with 8000+ points (24)
Points	Results	1st day	2nd day	P	Venue
8156 h	10,8 - 7.25 - 12.80 - 2.14 - 49,0 14,2 - 42.10 - 4.30 - 70.35 - 4.27,1	4170	3986	1	Santiago de Cuba 2007
8050 v h	10,6 - 7.15 - 11.86 - 2.17 - 48,9 14,4 - 41.49 - 4.70 - 61.80 - 4.35,4	4167	3883	2	Havana 2008
8366	11,23 - 7.16 - 13.89 - 2.09 - 48,37 14,42 - 44.67 - 4.60 - 70.64 - 4.16,70	4162	4204	4	Götzis 2008
8451	11,14 - 7.23 - 13.78 - 2.14 - 48,30 14,12 - 42.25 - 4.80 - 69.96 - 4.21,54	4243	4208	1	Ratingen 2008
8527	10,90 - 7.33 - 14.49 - 2.05 - 47,91 14,15 - 44.45 - 4.70 - 73.98 - 4.29,17	4297	4230	3	Beijing 2008
8415	10,93 - 7.29 - 13.98 - 2.11 - 48,97 14,38 - 42.36 - 4.70 - 72.93 - 4.26,51	4255	4160	1	Havana 2009
8654 NR	11,07 - 7.42 - 14.39 - 2.09 - 47,65 14,15 - 46.07 - 4.70 - 77.47 - 4.27,29	4325	4329	1	Havana 2009
8640	11,13 - 7.24 - 15.20 - 2.11 - 48,00 14,45 - 44.71 - 5.00 - 75.19 - 4.27,25	4320	4320	2	Berlin 2009
8112	11,33 - 6.92 - 13.00 - 2.10 - 49,09 14,71 - 45.16 - 4.65 - 66.11 - 4.18,94	4004	4108	2	Desenzano del Garda 2010
8286	10,96 - 7.35 - 14.44 - 2.06 - 48,47 14,30 - 43.79 - 4.50 - 65.38 - 4.27,56	4268	4018	3	Götzis 2010
8243	11,32 - 7.38 - 13.77 - 2.06 - 48,75 14,63 - 43.86 - 4.70 - 68.99 - 4.26,10	4142	4101	2	Ratingen 2010
8328 W	11,08 - 7.13 - 13.92 - 2.11 - 49,12 14,49 - 45.78 - 4.66 - 71.46 - 4.30,61	4173	4155	1	Talence 2010
8271 v	11,08 - 6.89 - 13.92 - 2.11 - 49,12 14,49 - 45.78 - 4.66 - 71.46 - 4.30,61	4116	4155	–	Talence 2010
8440	11,06 - 7.21 - 13.48 - 2.06 - 48,85 14,35 - 44.57 - 4.86 - 75.49 - 4.25,33	4135	4305	2	Götzis 2011
8231	11,17 - 7.02 - 13.59 - 2.07 - 49,55 14,67 - 45.66 - 5.00 - 67.18 - 4.27,98	4047	4184	1	Kladno 2011
8501 nwi	11,07 - 7.33 - 14.54 - 2.05 - 49,17 14,29 - 46.25 - 5.00 - 69.12 - 4.24,16	4202	4299	3	Daegu 2011
8373 ↗	11,01 - 7.39 - 14.64 - 2.08 - 49,76 14,26 - 45.54 - 4.80 - 72.19 - 4.45,78	4238	4135	1	Guadalajara 2011
8289	11,35 - 6.85 - 13.95 - 2.09 - 49,33 14,34 - 44.71 - 4.86 - 71.99 - 4.23,26	4020	4269	5	Götzis 2012
8523	11,27 - 7.52 - 14.50 - 2.11 - 49,04 14,45 - 45.75 - 4.70 - 76.94 - 4.30,08	4265	4258	3	London 2012
8317	11,07 - 7.33 - 14.20 - 1.90 - 48,21 14,62 - 46.41 - 4.90 - 68.61 - 4.23,87	4092	4225	10	Moscow 2013
8027	11,36 - 7.00 - 13.79 - 2.05 - 51,94 14,58 - 44.45 - 4.90 - 69.74 - 4.34,24	3888	4139	1	Havana 2015
8347	11,30 - 7.40 - 13.74 - 2.06 - 49,72 14,65 - 43.48 - 4.80 - 78.29 - 4.29,20	4104	4243	1	Havana 2016
8460	11,21 - 7.14 - 14.27 - 2.07 - 48,15 14,48 - 47.07 - 4.90 - 72.32 - 4.28,32	4176	4284	6	Rio de Janeiro 2016
8214 v	11,08 - 7.25 - 14.18 - 2.00 - 48,80 14,54 - 44.18 - 4.50 - 71.88 - 4.29,14	4130	4084	8	Götzis 2017
8026 v	11,17 - 7.14 - 13.84 - 2.05 - 50,53 14,57 - 44.72 - 4.70 - 64.00 - 4.34,21	4029	3997	1	Barranquilla 2018

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Leonel Suarez finished sixth with 8460 points despite competing with chickenpox.

Talence 2010 is counted as one competition; the additional 8271-point row uses his wind-legal long jump.

Heptathlons with 5800+ points (3)
Points	Results	1st day	2nd day	P	Venue
5959	7,18 - 7.12 - 13.69 - 2.16 - 8,05 - 4.75 - 2.43,65	3323	2636	3	Tallinn 2009 RHC
5891	7,11 - 7.24 - 13.62 - 2.07 - 8,17 - 4.60 - 2.39,97	3288	2603	2	Sevilla 2009
5964 NR	7,13 - 7.13 - 14.10 - 2.02 - 8,15 - 4.85 - 2.36,12	3238	2726	2	Tallinn 2010 ICEM

International medals (7)
Year	Venue	Championships	Event	Total	Medal
2008	Beijing 2008	Olympic Games	Decathlon	8527	Bronze
2009	Havana 2009	Central American and Caribbean	Decathlon	8654 NR	Gold
2009	Berlin 2009	World	Decathlon	8640	Silver
2011	Daegu 2011	World	Decathlon	8501 nwi	Bronze
2011	Guadalajara 2011	Pan American Games	Decathlon	8373 ↗	Gold
2012	London 2012	Olympic Games	Decathlon	8523	Bronze
2018	Barranquilla 2018	CAC Games	Decathlon	8026v	Gold

Winner of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge
Year	1st meeting	2nd meeting	3rd meeting	Total	Medal
2011	8440 Götzis 2011	8231 Kladno 2011	8501 Daegu 2011	25172	Gold

NR – national record
v – event with wind >2.0 m/s and <=4.0 m/s and wind average for 3 events <=2.0 m/s
W – one event with wind >4.0 m/s and wind average for 3 events >2.0 m/s (IAAF rule until 31/12/2009)
nwi – no wind information
h – hand timed
↗ – high altitude event

Comments (1)

fofisanchez wrote on Oct 25, 2008

hola a todos
analizando , los resultados de lo juegos olimpicos, cabe señalar que en los proximos dos años hay un decatlonista que dara mucho que hacer y mucho de que hablar , se trata del cubano , leonel suarez , quien alcanzo el tercer lugar en los juedos olimpicos, es un atleta que esta demostrando que viene en ascenso y posee , mucha fibra para este tipo de disciplina , por su estabilidad tecnica.
es un atleta muy joven apenas comienza su bregar en el altisimo nivel , donde esta muy pareja la lucha por encabezar las listas de los primeros de este evento, donde otros atletas tambien poseen un alto nivel y experiencia , como es el caso de los norteamericanos y algunos atletas europeos y el jamaicano maurice smith , este ultimo un atleta excepcional , por sus capacidades fisicas y su somatotipo.
quisiera que alguien me hablara al respecto y me diera su opinion , y asi de esta manera intercambiar
saludos

Notify us, if you think this comment is inappropriate

IP: 190.77.2...

Please log in to add your comment!

Leonel Suarez becomes third Cuban 8000+ decathlete

Interview with Leonel Suarez, Talence 2010

Another Cuban record by Leonel Suarez

Leonel Suarez and his 2008 world records

Leonel Suarez won Aurelio Janet Memorial with 8415 points

Leonel Suarez victorious in Kladno

IAAF World Combined Events Challence 2011

The 2011 IAAF Combined Events Challenge brought together the world’s leading decathletes, with Cuba’s Leonel Suárez claiming the overall title after scoring a combined 25172 points from his three counting decathlons.

Talence 2010

Leonel Suárez won the Talence Decastar decathlon with a world-class 8328 points, leading a remarkably deep field featuring eight athletes over 8000 points and confirming Talence’s status as one of the premier combined-events meetings in the world.

Cuban men’s decathlon all-time list

Explore the leading performances in Cuban men’s decathlon history, featuring the top all ‐time scores and complete event ‐by ‐event results. The list highlights Cuba’s best decathletes across different generations, from …

Ratingen 2008

Leonel Suarez of Cuba won the men's decathlon at the 2008 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8451 points, finishing 79 points ahead of Germany's Arthur Abele, who scored 8372. Andre Niklaus completed the podium with 8273 points, while six …

Search: Cuban national record Leonel Suarez Olympian