Rome 1960
The first sportsman from Navarre who was also famous
Two sportsmen from Navarre, Miguel de la Cuadra Salcedo in Athletics and the military man Joaquín Villalba Sánchez de Ocaña in Modern Pentathlon, travelled to the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.
Although he was born in Madrid, he always considered himself to be from Navarre. Miguel de la Cuadra Salcedo was born in Madrid, although he always considered himself to be from Navarre. At the age of five, his parents moved to Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. He studied at high school San Francisco Javier de los Jesuitas in Tudela (Navarre) and later studied to become an agricultural expert, although the career in which he excelled was that of athlete.
For most of his sporting career he competed without a team as an independent athlete. In 1960 he was a member of the athletics section of Real Madrid C.F. During his sporting career he won a total of nine Spanish championships: six in discus, two in shot put and one in hammer throw, as well as several national records in hammer throw and discus. He also participated in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, representing Spain, in the discus throw test .
He broke the world javelin record with a technique adapted by Félix Erausquin, the Basque bar throw. Given the danger of this technique for inexperienced throwers, the IAAF was forced to modify the rules twice, including in the rules that neither the thrower nor the javelin could be oriented at any time during the throw with his back to the throwing area. This mark was not homologated even though it was a post-launch modification.
Joaquín Villalba was born in Pamplona on 29 September 1928. He came from a military family. His father was stationed in Pamplona. Joaquín also pursued a military career in the Infantry, becoming Brigadier General and Military Governor of Cádiz.
He participated in the Rome Games with the Spanish Modern Pentathlon team in which he was ranked 44th.
Died in Madrid on 26 November 2007.