Rolando Cruz
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1939 (age 86) Salinas, Puerto Rico |
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) |
Medal record | |
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
Rolando Cruz Quiñones (born September 17, 1939, in Salinas, Puerto Rico) is a former pole vaulter from Puerto Rico. He trained under Jimmy Curran at Mercersburg Academy and Jim 'Jumbo' Elliott at Villanova University.[1][2] He competed for his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1956 and was the flag bearer for Puerto Rico in the 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[3] He is a three-time gold medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games: 1959, 1962 and 1966.
His personal best in pole vault was 4.96 metres set in 1964. His brother, Rubén Cruz, was also a pole vaulter.[4]
Cruz later became a lawyer and president of a life insurance company. From 1977 to 1981 he served as Commissioner Of Insurance of Puerto Rico.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Puerto Rico | ||||
| 1956 | Olympic Games | Melbourne, Australia | 16th (q) | 4.00 m |
| 1959 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Caracas, Venezuela | 1st | 4.40 m |
| Pan American Games | Chicago, United States | 3rd | 4.32 m | |
| 1960 | Olympic Games | Rome, Italy | 4th | 4.55 m |
| Ibero-American Games | Santiago, Chile | 1st | 4.35 m | |
| 1962 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Kingston, Jamaica | 1st | 4.72 m |
| Ibero-American Games | Madrid, Spain | 1st | 4.50 m | |
| 1964 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 21st (q) | 4.50 m |
| 1966 | Central American and Caribbean Games | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1st | 4.54 m |
| 1967 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Xalapa, Mexico | 1st | 4.50 m |
References
- ↑ Curran is Given Trip to Europe, Morning Herald (Hagerstown), January 23, 1960
- ↑ Puerto Rican Vaulter Eyes Finn's Mark, Hutchison News, February 4, 1963
- ↑ "Rolando Cruz". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ↑ Cuevas, Luis Romero (18 June 1966). "Heriberto y Rolando Cruz en 400 vallas y pértiga; Cuba 1ro. con 34 puntos". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rolando Cruz". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019.
- "1963 Video". britishpathe.com.
External links
- 1939 births
- Living people
- People from Salinas, Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican men pole vaulters
- Olympic track and field athletes for Puerto Rico
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games bronze medalists for Puerto Rico
- Pan American Games track and field athletes for Puerto Rico
- Pan American Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games
- Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico
- Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics
- Competitors at the 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Competitors at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Competitors at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- Villanova Wildcats men's track and field athletes
- Puerto Rican athletics biography stubs