India, Nov. 23 -- For 32 years, Javier Sotomayor has stood at the pinnace of high jump alone. The Cuban great not only remains the only high jumper to scale eight feet - he has done that twice - he is also the holder of one of the oldest standing world records in athletics. In India for the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival, the 58-year-old double Olympic medallist opened up on his self-taught technique, his visualisation routine, and his long-standing world mark.

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What does owning the high jump world record for 32 years mean to you?

It's a very special achievement that has stood the test of time. What really helped me is that I lived in the best era of high jump in the world. I had a lot of world class competitors in Patrik S...