Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo proved his champion status with a superb world-leading final-round leap to win the men’s triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday (19).
The Tokyo Olympic and 2022 world champion had led from the second round with 17.55m, a mark he repeated in the third.
He looked set to add another global title, but in the final round Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle blew the competition wide open, snatching the lead with a new personal best of 17.64m.
That piled the pressure on the Portuguese star for his last attempt. But he steadied himself and unleashed a magnificent 17.91m to retake the lead and secure gold.
First global medald for Dallavalle
Dallavalle still had plenty to celebrate: it was a career-best performance and his first senior global medal, adding to his European silver in 2022 and European indoor bronze earlier this year.
Cuba’s Lázaro Martínez, the former world indoor champion, claimed bronze with 17.49m. Dallavalle’s teammate Andy Díaz Hernández had been more widely favoured for a medal, but the Olympic bronze medallist and reigning world and European indoor champion could only manage 17.19m for fifth.
"This medal is for my father"
"I was scared. But I always leave a bit for the last jump," said Pichardo. "My wife doesn't like it much, she always says I have to give it all on the first jump, so if what happened today happens I have the energy to respond. And I did.
"In the fifth, I saved a little bit of energy and now we have a victory. I wasn't planning to use all my jumps and was ready to skip the last one.
"When Andrea took the lead that shook me up a bit, but I knew I still had it in me to jump again. It's a city I will keep with me my whole life - Olympic champion, world champion. My father didn't let me stop. He asked me to do at least this year, 2025.
"I always say that he is the one who is going to decide when I should end up my career. This medal is for my father. It will stay in his house.
"He is the person who has been working and keeping me strong mentally. Last year my mind wasn't very good. I wanted to retire but my father and coach have been helping me a lot."