The First Olympian of Cuba

Dating back to the St. Louis Olympic Marathon in 1904, there was an incredible tale of Félix "Andarn" Carvajal, the first Olympian from Cuba. Carvajal, a postman in his hometown of Havana, is said to have persuaded the mayor to send him to the Olympics by jogging laps around City Hall for the duration of an entire workday. The athlete ran out of money in New Orleans while traveling to America. Although some claim that Carvajal may have been robbed, the majority of accounts hold that the postman lost the money he had saved for the journey.

He was now homeless and 670 kilometers from the location of the race. Carvajal had no choice but to trek and hitchhike to St. Louis. He was now homeless and 670 kilometers from the location of the race. Carvajal had no choice but to trek and hitchhike to St. Louis. He made it in time, but the journey had left him filthy, perspiring, famished, and exhausted as a dog. Moreover, he still had a marathon to complete.

Of course, he didn't have any racing equipment. Carvajal arrived with a soiled white shirt, long pants, and boots. His appearance became much more odd and amusing when someone helped him by cutting his pants and making them into shorts.

Carvajal was a fan favorite during the race because he enjoyed stopping to talk to the spectators. He remembered that he hadn't eaten in two days as he ran by an apple orchard and stopped to get a short mid-race bite. Carvajal also took a brief mid-race snooze since the apples were bad and gave him a severe stomach ache. Even so, he placed fourth.