by Stuart Weir
Pedro Pablo Picardo, gold medalist, Triple Jump, photo by European Athletics
Patricia Mamona, gold medalist, Triple Jump, photo by European Athletics
Portugal won two medals in Torun. Both were gold medals. Both were in the Triple Jump. Stuart Weir did this piece on the amazing Triple jumping that comes out of Portugal! (Don’t you remember Nelson Evora?)
Many of us have done the triple jump. We called it the “hop, skip and jump” in school. The technique is challenging and it takes good core strength to manage the pressure that the TJ puts on one’s mortal engine.
A field day for Portugal
Portugal took gold in both the triple jump competitions. Pedro Pablo Picardo’s victory was no surprise. My initial thought was that 17.30m was a disappointing winning distance in a Europe-wide competition where only three men achieved over 17 meters – thinking of Jonathan Edwards’ world record 18.29m or Christian Taylor’s 2019 Doha World Championship winning 17.94m or even Picardo’s 17.62m for fourth place in Doha. Then, there was Hugues Fabrice Zango, who broke the world indoor record with 18.07m in January.
Pedro Pablo Picardo, gold medalist, Triple Jump, photo by European Athletics
However, a check of the past three European Indoor competitions, revealed that 17.3m0 was the longest winning distance and three athletes over 17 meters were also par for the course. It is, of course, early in the year and Nathan Douglas, Britain’s veteran jumper, is always telling me that it is all about rhythm, which takes time to develop. And there were not many opportunities to compete last year.
Patricia Mamona, gold medalist, Triple Jump, photo by European Athletics
Pichardo’s assessment of his competition was: “My first jump wasn’t great and that’s why I didn’t look too happy about it, despite it being enough to get a win today. I can jump further, and that’s always my goal – to be the best I can be. Achieving a good jump here today was one of my main goals, but in the end, the most important thing is to take the win back home. After losing a medal in Doha, this meant a lot, especially as a way to show some recognition for what Portugal has done for me. I have been given a chance to continue doing what I want to do, so I am very grateful for it”.
Pichardo did not miss the chance to make a slightly political point: “Now, it’s time to prepare for the Olympics as well as the Diamond League – I am very pleased the Triple Jump is back on the main program”.
Patricia Mamona, gold medalist, Triple Jump, photo by European Athletics
If Pichardo’s victory was comfortable, the women’s could hardly have been closer. Patricia Mamona won with 14.53m, with Ana Peleteiro (Spain) and Neele Eckhardt (Germany) both on 14.52m. Mamona needed a national record to win. With Peleteiro jumping 14.52m with her final attempt, Mamona had a nervous wait as it was measured. The winner commented: “This means so much to me, I just want to enjoy the moment. This was amazing and I feel even more powerful and confident. Hopefully, it’s just a beginning. I’m taking home NR and the gold.”
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Patricia Mamona, photo by European Athletics
