Luis Enrique Zayas Fernández

Luis Enrique Zayas Fernández is a Cuban high jump athlete.

He began practicing water polo, but he got sick frequently. Then he was tested on the Rekortán track and switched to track and field at the age of 11, under the tutelage of coach Bárbaro Díaz.

He competed in sprinting, long jump, shot put, hurdles and 1,000 meters, but later began to focus on high jump. In seventh grade he finally decided on high jump. That year he jumped 1.65 meters and won the silver medal in the Pioneer League.

In eighth grade he was selected to enter the EIDE Capitán Orestes Acosta, and jumped 1.85 under the tutelage of professor Daniel Guerra, who led him to win a bronze medal at the National School Games. In the following edition he won the silver medal with 1.95 meters.

He joined the national track and field team at the age of 15. He started with 2.13 meters, and the following year he jumped 2.18. He attended the youth Pan American Games in Colombia and Canada, and in the latter he won the silver medal.

2016 was an important year in his career, fundamentally marked by his silver medal at the Grand Prix held in Colombian territory and the title obtained at the World Championship sub-20 category held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz.

He represented Cuba at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games in which he was the biggest "electrifying" moment of the Caribbean delegation. With no medal predictions, he broke his personal record twice and rose to a height of 2.30 meters to leave behind Canadian Michael Mason, who later took silver with 2.28, and Mexican Roberto Vilches (2.26).

In 2020 he jumps 2.33 a new personal record in an event held in Slovakia. His coach is Juan Francisco Centelles and the athlete receives support from world record holder Javier Sotomayor.

Recognitions
Selected among the ten most outstanding athletes of 2019 in Santiago de Cuba