Luis Rivera (athlete)

Luis Alberto Rivera Morales (born 21 June 1987) is a Mexican long jumper. He won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. His personal best is 8.46 metres, achieved in July 2013.[2]

This article is about the Mexican long jumper. For the Puerto Rican high jumper born in 1991, see Luis Castro Rivera.
Luis Rivera
Rivera at the 2013 World Championships
Personal information
Born (1987-06-21) June 21, 1987
Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Country Mexico
SportAthletics
Event(s)Long jump
Medal record
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2013 MoscowLong jump
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place2013 KazanLong jump

His brother, Edgar Rivera, competes in the high jump.

Early life

A native of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Rivera was oldest of four children born to Luis Rivera Pompa and Alejandra Morales.[3] His father had excelled in athletics while his maternal grandfather, León Morales Amézquita, was a marathon runner and played professional football for Unión de Curtidores.[3]

Rivera played football before he began practicing the long jump at the age of 17.[3][4]

He attended Central Arizona College, where he learned English. He won the junior college national championship in both the triple jump and the long jump.[5] After finishing his General Studies degree, he transferred to the University of Arizona, where he was named all-American in long jump. He also won the indoor and outdoor conference titles in both the long jump and triple jump.[5]

Career

In 2013, Rivera competed at the Summer Universiade held in Kazan, Russia, where he jumped 8.46 meters to take the gold medal in a head-to-head battle with Russian national favorite Aleksandr Menkov, who finished 4 cm behind. Rivera's winning jump became the Mexican national record, and the University Games record.

Just over a month later, at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia, Menkov was again in the competition. This time Menkov took the gold with the Russian National record of 8.56 m while Rivera took the bronze medal with a jump of 8.27 m.

Rivera was given the National Sports Award in 2013 for his performances.[6]

Personal life

Rivera earned his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Arizona before earning his master's degree in electrical engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM).[3] He subsequently earnned his PhD in industrial engineering from ITESM.[6]

His brother, Edgar Rivera, competes in the high jump. Two other brothers, Adrián and Jorge, also compete in athletics.[7] A documentary about the Rivera quartet, called El gran salto, was released in 2021.[7]

In May 2021, Rivera announced his candidacy for the municipal president of Agua Prieta, challenging incumbent Jesús Alfonso Montaño Durazo, cousin of Governor Alfonso Durazo.[6]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Mexico
2004 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships Coatzacoalcos, Mexico 3rd Triple jump 14.56 m
2007 NACAC Championships San Salvador, El Salvador 6th Long jump 7.43 m
2010 Ibero-American Championships San Fernando, Spain 8th Long jump 7.48 m
Central American and Caribbean Games Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 7th Long jump 7.43 m
2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 8th Long jump 7.32 m
Universiade Shenzhen, China 28th (q) Long jump 7.23 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 32nd (q) Long jump 7.42 m
2013 Universiade Kazan, Russia 1st Long jump 8.46 m
World Championships Moscow, Russia 3rd Long jump 8.27 m
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 7th Long jump 7.93 m
Ibero-American Championships São Paulo, Brazil 1st Long jump 8.24 m
2015 Pan American Games Toronto, Canada 9th Long jump 7.63 m (w)

References
  1. "Luis Rivera Profile". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. "Info System: Schedule / Schedule by Date (Athletics, Friday 12 July 2013) / Official Results - Men's Long Jump Final". Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  3. Sánchez Reyes, Cristina (16 August 2013). "Los números son la vida para Luis Rivera". El Economista (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. Trujano, Saúl (20 August 2013). "Luis Rivera, el orgullo de Agua Prieta". Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. "Luis Rivera-Morales Profile". Arizona Wildcats Athletics. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. Moreno Valenzuela, Gerardo (21 May 2021). "Luis Rivera busca oxigenar el Gobierno de Agua Prieta". Primera Plana Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. "El sueño olímpico de los hermanos Rivera llega a la pantalla grande". Imagen Poblana (in Spanish). 3 August 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
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