The Portuguese Pedro Pablo Pichardo was “very grateful” to Portugal on his return to Lisbon, after being crowned two-time European triple jump champion on the indoor track in Istanbul on Friday.
“I have never regretted being here. I am very happy here, very grateful to the country and the people for all the love, the messages, everything. I am very happy”, acknowledged the triple jump national record holder. , that she improved her record precisely in the European ‘indoor’ in Istanbul 2023, with a jump of 17.60 meters that led her to victory and became the maximum Portuguese record in the discipline.
Minutes after landing at the Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon, Pedro Pablo Pichardo did not hide his pride in a more accomplished feat.
“I am very happy, it is a great emotion to be a two-time European indoor champion. The objective now is to rest five days and reach the summer and continue adding victories. We will have the World Cup, in Budapest, also the Diamond League, and we are focused on winning and also on making good jumps”, planned the jumper.
Pedro Pablo Pichardo revalidated the European indoor track title -he still holds the European scepter outdoors- and also holds the European, world and Olympic titles. However, he does not make any particular distinction of achievement.
“For me all the medals have a different value, they are all important, they all have great meaning. The important thing is, first, to be healthy and to be able to train well, the rest, to always add victories and bring back medals. and titles home. For me it is always important”, stressed the athlete, a native of Cuba and naturalized Portuguese since 2017.
Due to the results already obtained, Pichardo only thinks about the ultimate goal for the future: the world record.
“In my head I don’t focus on that, I try to keep my feet on the ground and do my job. The rest come out in competitions. The world record, let’s try it, now that we have all the titles, just try this record, which is the only thing missing, ”she stipulated.
Smiling, Pedro Pablo Pichardo highlighted the merit of his coach and father, Jorge Pichardo, who accompanied him: “I am very happy, it is a great emotion to be a two-time European indoor champion. The secret of success is a lot of training, a lot of work. There is what to ask the ‘mister’ [o seu treinador e pai], says the medals are his. We are good friends, I am very grateful to have a father like him, I think that without him I would not have achieved what I have achieved today.
For his part, happy for the achievement of his son and pupil, Jorge Pichardo, responsible for the training and direction of the career of the Portuguese national triple jump record holder, did not lower the demand.
“I’m proud, but I’m not happy, because our goal is to break all the triple jump records. We won, but the medal is mine,” he said, laughing, setting the triple jump world record, whose mark is 18.29 meters. and which belongs, since 1995, to the British Jonathan Edwards.
Source: TSF
