Cuban long jumper Juan Miguel Echevarría has made his return to competitive athletics after a hiatus of over three years. His comeback occurred at the Moniz Pereira Indoor Athletics Meeting in Pombal, Portugal, on January 26, 2025. Echevarría finished fifth in the with a best jump of 7.48 meters. This marked his first official competition since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Echevarría’s performance in Pombal was described as “discreet”. He began with a jump of 7.10 meters, and his best attempt came on his third try. His second jump was a poor 6.25 meters, and he fouled on his fourth and fifth attempts. He then decided not to participate in the final round.
No competitor in the event surpassed the eight-meter mark, but Spanish athlete Jaime Guerra came closest with a jump of 7.95 meters, securing first place. Brazilian Almir dos Santos (7.65m) and Spaniard Eusebio Cáceres (7.55m) completed the podium.
Echevarría’s return to competition follows his departure from the Cuban Athletics Federation in 2022, citing “personal reasons”. He then moved to Portugal, reportedly signing with a club. However, in April 2024, he announced his return to training under the guidance of former Cuban long jumper Iván Pedroso as he looked to competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ultimately, he did not compete.
Echevarría has a personal best of 8.68 meters, though he has recorded a jump of 8.92 meters with wind assistance over the legal limit. He won the World Indoor Championship in Birmingham in 2018 with a jump of 8.46 meters, and the following year, he won the Diamond League final in Zurich. Despite these accomplishments, he took silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after losing to Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou.
The meet in Pombal was part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour 2025 and was classified as a Challenger event. His return could potentially boost his reintegration into the elite level of long jumping. Greek athlete Miltiadis Tentoglou and Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock are considered among the top athletes in the event.
According to CubaNews, Echevarría appears more mature with more muscle mass. Another article from Radio Cadena Agramonte confirmed that he requested to leave the national team in 2022 and noted that he decided to represent Cuba once again under Pedroso’s guidance.
His appearance at the Pombal meet was part of the national preselection process for long jumpers, which means he is seeking to regain his place on the Cuban national team.