Pedro Pablo Pichardo was proclaimed this Friday European triple jump champion in indoor athletics, with a mark of 17.60 meters.
The Portuguese athlete, who had already broken the national record in the round, once again surpassed the best Portuguese record in the triple jump final of the Indoor European Championships in Istanbul.
One day after improving the national record to 17.48 metres, in qualifying, the 29-year-old Olympic, world and European outdoor champion added 12 centimeters to the best ever national indoor mark, with the best world jump of the year, after beginning the defense of his European title with 17.26.
The Olympic, world and European outdoor champion and now also a two-time European indoor champion left the Greek Nikolaos Andrikopoulos and the German Mark Hess in second and third position, with 16.58 and 16.54, respectively, while Tiago Luís Pereira He finished in fourth position, with 16.51, his best mark of the year.
At the age of 29, with Pichardo, he repeated the feat achieved in Torun 2021, where he won his first medal as a Portuguese, becoming the second Portuguese “indoor” triple champion, after Nelson Évora had won the titles in Prague 2015 and Belgrade 2017 .
Pichardo achieved 17.60 meters, the best world mark of the year, in his third attempt, after having started the contest with 17.26, which already guaranteed him the gold medal, having given up the second, fourth and fifth tests, ending with null.
With Pichardo’s title, Portugal’s first in Istanbul 2023, Portugal already has 27 indoor European medals, 16 of which are gold, and the triple jump becomes the specialty with the most achievements, four, against the “tri ” by Rui Silva in the 1,500 meters .
Pichardo joins the title of two-time European “indoor” champion to the Olympic, world and European title in the open air, also holding the status of world “runner-up” on the indoor track.
Pichardo believes he can break the world record in summer
Pedro Pichardo, speaking to RTP after winning Europe, revealed that he thinks it could be this summer, during the Outdoor World Championships, that he could break the triple jump world record.
“Let’s see. Nobody knows. On the indoor track I have improved a few centimetres. Let’s see what can happen in summer”, said the Portuguese jumper.
The Portuguese athlete is “happy” to have met the goal of breaking the national record and left a message to the country: “Listening to the Portuguese anthem is very emotional for me. I thank the country that gave me the opportunity to continue my career “.
Source: TSF
