Nickname
La Maquina (sierramaestra.cu, 08 Oct 2019)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Physical Education - Manuel Fajardo Physical Culture and Sports Science University : Havana, CUB
Spoken languages
English, Spanish
Coach
Carlos Rafael Gil [personal], CUB; Esnardo Soto [national]
International senior debut
2013
Injuries
In January 2019 he underwent stem cell treatment to relieve the pain from prolonged wrist injuries that had affected his performance towards the end of 2018. He had a further operation in March 2019, but was not able to recover in time to compete at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (cibercuba.com, 13 Jun 2019; eng.gymnovosti.com, 16 Jan 2019; Instagram profile, 11 Jan 2019; jit.cu, 19 Apr 2019; jit.cu, 07 Oct 2019)
He ruptured a tendon in his left leg during training at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He still competed at the Games despite the injury, but then spent 10 months recovering before returning to competition in July 2017. (granma.cu, 04 Jul 2017; granma.cu, 12 May 2017)
Start sporting career
He took up gymnastics at age five in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
Reason for taking up the sport
One of his grandmother's neighbours invited him to try the sport.
Milestones
He became the first Cuban gymnast to win a medal in the individual all-around at the world championships when he claimed silver at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (SportsDeskOnline, 27 Aug 2018; gimnasialatina.com, 29 Jul 2017)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (granma.cu, 12 May 2017)
Hero / Idol
Cuban gymnasts Erick Lopez, Casimiro Suarez and Emilio Sagre. (sierramaestra.cu, 31 Jul 2015)
Philosophy / Motto
"Get ready for tomorrow by working hard today." (Facebook page, 29 Apr 2016)
Awards
In 2015 he was named Best Latin American Gymnast by the Gimnasia Latina magazine. (cibercuba.com, 31 Dec 2015)
He was named the 2015 Cuban Athlete of the Year, alongside boxer Julio Cesar La Cruz. (cibercuba.com, 31 Dec 2015; Facebook profile, 07 Dec 2015)
Additional information
NAMED ELEMENT
In 2016 the International Gymnastics Federation [FIG] named a parallel bars element after him. The 'Larduet' is a double somersault with a twist as a finishing element. (cubasi.cu, 03 May 2016)
Last update : 2024-07-22