# Héctor Cotto

Héctor Cotto González (born August 8, 1984) is a Puerto Rican Olympic athlete specializing in the 110 meters hurdles.

## Background

Cotto was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. His family moved to Irondequoit, New York, where he attended East Ridge Senior High School. When his family moved to Cary, North Carolina, he attended Green Hope High School and graduated in 2002.
At Green Hope High, Cotto played football, ran track and field, and earned several all-conference honors for track. His personal best for the 110 and 55 meter hurdles ranked him at 11th in the nation in 2002. As of 2015, Cotto still holds several Green Hope High School records in track.
Cotto attended Fayetteville State University, but transferred to East Carolina University after one year. While at ECU, he broke their records for the 60 and 110 meter hurdles.

## Olympics

After graduation from ECU, Cotto began his professional career representing Puerto Rico. He competed in the 110 meter hurdles in both the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the London Olympics in 2012. He also competed in the World Athletics Championships in 2007, 2009, and 2011.

### Competition record

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Puerto Rico ||||||
| 2005 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Nassau, Bahamas | 8th | 110 m hurdles | 14.05 (w) |
| 2007 | NACAC Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 4th | 110 m hurdles | 13.90 |
| 2007 | Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 8th | 110 m hurdles | 14.09 |
| 2008 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Cali, Colombia | 3rd | 110 m hurdles | 13.55 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 27th (qf) | 110 m hurdles | 13.73 |
| 2009 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Havana, Cuba | 4th | 110 m hurdles | 13.63 |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 35th (h) | 110 m hurdles | 13.81 |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 19th (h) | 60 m hurdles | 7.87 |
| 2010 | Ibero-American Championships | San Fernando, Spain | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.54 (NR) |
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 3rd | 110 m hurdles | 13.71 |
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 4th | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.18 |
| 2011 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 2nd | 110 m hurdles | 13.54 |
| 2011 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 5th | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.71 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 20th (h) | 110 m hurdles | 13.60 |
| 2011 | Pan American Games | Guadalajara, Mexico | 5th | 110 m hurdles | 13.49 |
| 2012 | Ibero-American Championships | Barquisimeto, Venezuela | 2nd | 110 m hurdles | 13.69 |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 42nd (h) | 110 m hurdles | 14.08 |
| 2013 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Morelia, Mexico | 6th | 110 m hurdles | 14.25 |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot, Poland | 25th (h) | 60 m hurdles | 7.94 |
| 2014 | Pan American Sports Festival | Mexico City, Mexico | 10th (h) | 110m hurdles | 14.31 A (wind: -0.2 m/s) |

### Personal bests

Cotto holds the Puerto Rican national record for 110m hurdles and the 60m hurdles. Of hurdling, he says, "Running is the easy part. To me it’s always been about the technique. The ultimate goal is to be so efficient over the hurdles that you can let loose and just run when you race. That’s when hurdling is fun. That’s what all the hard work is for.”

#### Outdoors

* 100m 10.37 (+1.4 m/s) (Walnut 2010)
* 110m hurdles 13.49 (+1.6 m/s) (Guadalajara 2011)

#### Indoors

* 60m hurdles 7.71 (Flagstaff 2014)

## Awards and honors

Cotto won the gold medal for 110m hurdles at the Ibero-American Championships in 2010, followed by the silver medal for 110 m. hurdles in 2012.
In 2015, Green Hope High School inducted Cotto into the first class of their Sports Hall of Fame.

## Personal life

As of 2015, Cotto coaches track & field at William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also helps train other coaches through his online Hurdle Rhythm Training Series, training workshops, and The Hurdle Magazine.