Roberto Hernández Prendes (6 March 1967 - 5 July 2021)[1] was a Cuban track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. He was born in Limonar, Matanzas. His personal best for the 400 metres is 44.14 seconds, set in Seville, Spain in May 1990. Until September 2006, this was the fastest time by anyone not from the US. It remains the Cuban record for the event. He broke 44.5 seconds on four other occasions.
Hernandez finished fourth in the World Championship finals in 1987 and 1991. As a member of the Cuban 4 × 400 m relay squad he won a World Championship Bronze medal in 1987 and an Olympic silver medal in 1992. As of 1 October 2014, Hernandez holds the fastest non-winning time for the 300 metres.
| Representing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Nassau, Bahamas | 1st | 400 m | 45.34 | |
| World Student Games | Kobe, Japan | 2nd | 400 m | 45.41 | ||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.20 | ||||
| World Cup | Canberra, Australia | 6th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.521 | ||
| 1986 | Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-20) | Mexico City, Mexico | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 200 m | 20.70 A |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 400 m | 45.19 A | |||
| Ibero American Championships | Havana, Cuba | 2nd | 400 m | 46.03 | ||
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:09.09 | |||
| Pan American Junior Championships | Winter Park, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 200 m | 20.83 | |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 400 m | 45.64 | |||
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 40.62 | |||
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.30 | |||
| World Junior Championships | Athens, Greece | 2nd (h) [2] | 200m | 21.20 (+0.3 m/s) | ||
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 400m | 45.64 | |||
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.22 | |||
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 2nd | 400 m | 46.09 | |
| Pan American Games | Indianapolis, United States | 3rd | 400 m | 45.13 | ||
| World Championships | Rome, Italy | 4th | 400 m | 44.99 | ||
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m | 2:59.16 NR | ||||
| 1988 | Ibero-American Championships | Ciudad de México, Mexico | 3rd | 200m | 20.24 (-0.3 m/s) A | |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 400m | 44.44 A | |||
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.71 A CR | |||
| 1989 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1st | 400 m | 44.84 CR | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.90 | ||||
| Universiade | Duisburg, West Germany | 1st | 400 m | 45.42 | ||
| World Cup | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 400 m | 44.58[3] | ||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:00.65 | ||||
| 1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 400 m | 44.79 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m | 3:03.35 | ||||
| Central American and Caribbean Games | Mexico City, Mexico | 1st | 200 m | 20.72 A (-0.8 m/s) | ||
| 1st | 400 m | 44.84 A | ||||
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m | 3:06.17 A | ||||
| 1991 | Pan American Games | Havana, Cuba | 7th | 200 m | 23.22 | |
| 1st | 400 m | 44.52 | ||||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m | 3:01.93 | ||||
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 400 m | 44.86 | ||
| 1992 | Ibero-American Championships | Seville, Spain | 1st (h)[4] | 400m | 46.37 | |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:01.58 | |||
| Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 5th | 400 m | 44.52 | ||
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m | 2:59.51 | ||||
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | heats | 400 m | 46.01 | |
| 6th | 4 × 400 m | 3:00.46 | ||||
| 1994 | Ibero-American Championships | Mar del Plata, Argentina | — | 4 × 400 m relay | DQ | |
| 1996 | Ibero American Championships | Medellín, Colombia | 5th | 400 m | 46.95 | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m | 3:03.98 | ||||
| Olympic Games | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | 19th (h) | 4 × 400 m | 3:05.75 | ||