Portugal's Pedro Pichardo Wins Gold in Triple Jump

Pichardo's best jump was 17.98m, setting a new record for Portugal and becoming the first Portuguese athlete to win a gold medal since 2008.

Portugal has waited 13 long years to see one of its own climb atop the podium at the Olympics. On Thursday night, that wait came to an end.

Pedro Pichardo won gold in the triple jump, with a top jump of 17.98m. It's the first gold medal of any kind for Portugal since 2008, and the fifth for the country all-time. The win gives Portugal four medals in these Games, the most in a single Olympics ever.

What a moment for Portugal's Pedro Pichardo!

He wins gold in the men's triple jump which is the first Olympic gold medal for Portugal since 2008. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/32zOlxCGml

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 5, 2021

China's Zhu Yaming won silver with a 17.57m jump, the furthest jump for China in Olympics history. Hughes Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso won bronze, bringing home the first Olympics medal for any sport in Burkina Faso's history.

Pichardo's 17.98m jump sets a new record for Portugal. The 28-year-old was born in Cuba but defected to Portugal in 2017, and has represented that country ever since. He won gold for Cuba at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and took silver at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, but had never competed in the Olympics before this year.

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