His condition of a giant of the 110 m hurdles reached its climax in the finals of the Sydney Olympics, where he defeated all the American myths to become the first to ever watch the rest of the competitors over his shoulders in an Olympic final of the specialty, stopping the chronographs in 13 exact seconds, the seventh best record of all times.
With a size of 6'3'' and weighing 187 pounds, he has achieved a depurate technique in which he conjugates harmony in flying over the hurdles and a demonic speed in the few spans of track where that is possible. His preparation preceding the Olympic Games was optimal. He was convinced that he could attain victory and psychological preparation was a key element to that end.
The slender speed runner has experienced a quick ascension to stardom. His first relevant result dates back to 1994 when he was fifth in the Junior World Championship in Portugal. The following year, he was crowned sub-19 Pan-American and Iberian and Latin-american monarch, and made it to semi-finals in the Summer Olympics of Atlanta'96.
Regarding World Championships, he was second in Athens (1999) and Edmonton (2001). As to indoor World Championships he won gold in Seville (1997), fell down to the sixth place in Maebashi (1999), and won the silver medal in Edmonton (2001) and Birmingham (2003).
One must also consider his victories in two Pan-American Games, 1995 and 1999, as well as his title in the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1998.