The 30-year-old Sporting athlete risked everything in the final test to win Portugal’s first medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. It is the team’s fourth podium finish ever in the triple jump
There is no Pedro Pablo Pichardo? Don’t worry, there was Tiago Pereira. “I cried, I screamed, I laughed! I’ve been through all this and I’m still coming to my senses,” explained Tiago, 30, after sensationally winning the bronze medal in the triple jump on the second day of the World Championships, Portugal’s first leg Indoor Glasgow-2024, at the Emirates Arena.
In an edition where the team did not have the Olympic champion and silver medalist at the Belgrade 2022 event, the Sporting athlete made the most of the final test and risked everything – he was 16.74 in the only attempt (2nd). . that he managed to pass – and fly up to 17.08m to set a new personal record on a short course and finish on the podium. In the end he was only surpassed by the favorite Fabrice Zango (17.53 m) from Burkina Faso and the Moroccan Yasser Triki (17.35). Not bad for someone who couldn’t get past 11th place in the Serbian capital two years ago.
“I am very happy to finally be able to translate the work I have done into results.” I think that This is where I started my candidacy for the European podium, perhaps the title. I won’t be one anymore outsider In Rome. I will be a candidate. I will work as best as I can for Rome (European Championships) and Paris (Games).», Pereira also said that he had already left a warning to coach João Ganço before the dress rehearsal.
“I knew I could make a good jump and get into the medals. I spoke to my trainer. He said he would go full throttle and risk everything. If it were zero, it would be zero. I came to this competition very well prepared. I knew what I was doing. I even thought I would jump more than I did. “I am very grateful for the medal and very happy with the result,” he revealed, still in the clouds.
Although Tiago is already thinking about medals at the European Championships, he still needs to apply for his visa for the Paris Games in 2024 after his ninth place in Tokyo 2020. But now it was time to celebrate Portugal’s fourth medal at the World Indoor Championships, following Pichardo’s silver and Nélson Évora’s two bronze medals.
But while Tiago jumped, the Seleção were still on the verge of another medal João Coelho finished one place off the podium by setting a new Portuguese record of 45.86 seconds in the 400m final. The race was won by the Belgian Alexander Doom (45.25 m), who overtook the Norwegian Karsten Warholm (45.34 m) and left the last step of the podium to the Jamaican Rasheen McDonald (45.65 m).
The 24-year-old Sporting sprinter broke the national distance maximum for the third time in two days after 46.35 seconds in qualifying and 45.98 seconds in the semi-final decided the six men who would fight for the medals. This 4th place for Coelho was equal to the best finish ever achieved by Carlos Silva in Barcelona 1995.
