Pedro Pablo Pichardo Peralta (, ; born 30 June 1993) is a Cuban-born Portuguese
triple jump
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...
er. He won the gold medal at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
with a Portuguese national record of and the silver medal at the
2024 Summer Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...
. He was world champion in 2022, and could not defend his title in 2023 due to injury.
Pichardo was the 2012 World Junior Champion and the 2013 World Championship silver medalist. His in early 2014 was the best triple jump of the year. In 2015, his made him the #6 performer ever. A week later he improved to , making him the No. 3 performer ever and the best performance the world has seen since 1996 (when Pichardo was only three years old). At club level, he represents Benfica in Portugal.
Career
On 15 May 2015, Pichardo jumped (0.9 m/s) at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix. His performance made him the number 3 performer ever at the time. With Christian Taylor also jumping minutes later, this was the first competition in history to have two men jump over 18 m, being called "the greatest triple jump competition ever." Pichardo's 18.06 m also improved his own Cuban national record of set one week earlier in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Yoelbi Quesada's nearly 18-year-old record, and put Pichardo in position #6 of the all-time top ten performers. Back in 2013, Pichardo had won Athletissima with a mark of 17.58 m.
On 28 May 2015, Pichardo jumped (0.0 m/s) at the Copa Cuba-Memorial Barrientos meet in Havana, improving his own Cuban national record set two weeks earlier by 2 cm.
In April 2017, Pichardo disappeared from the Cuban national team's meeting in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, Germany, appearing in Portugal days later. After signing a contract with Portuguese club
S.L. Benfica
(), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football.
Founded on 28 February 1904, as ''Sport Lisboa'', Benfica is one of the " ...
on 27 April, he gained Portuguese citizenship on 7 December and was eligible to compete for Portugal on international stage since August 2019. Therefore, the first major competition in which Pichardo represented the Portuguese colours was the 2019 World Championships, finishing fourth in the final.
On 4 May 2018, Pichardo established a new triple jump national record for Portugal with a winning jump of 17.95 m during the Doha leg of
2018 Diamond League
The 2018 Diamond League was the ninth season of the Diamond League, annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the second edition to feature the new champion ...
series. He also won gold medals at the
2019 IAAF Diamond League
The 2019 Diamond League was the tenth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It featured fourteen meetings, with the final two meetings serving ...
, with a personal season best of 17.53 m, and at the 2020 IAAF Diamond League, with a mark of 17.40 m.
Representing Portugal, Pichardo won the gold medal at the
2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships
The 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held from 4 to 7 March 2021 at the Arena Toruń in Toruń, Poland. This was the second time this event was held in Poland after the 1975 edition in Katowice. The four-day competition featured ...
on 7 March 2021. On 6 July, Pichardo jumped 17.92 m (+0.4) at the
Gyulai István Memorial
The Gyulai István Memorial is an annual track and field meet that takes place at Bregyó közi Regionális Atlétika Központ in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. It was first held in 2011 at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium in Budapest. The meeting is part ...
, beating
Hugues Fabrice Zango
Hugues Fabrice Zango (born 25 June 1993) is a Burkinabé athlete who specialises in the triple jump. He is the world indoor record holder in the triple jump with a jump of set in 2021 and the reigning world champion, winning the gold medal in t ...
.
On 5 August 2021, Pichardo competed in the
2020 Summer Olympics
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
representing
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. He won the gold medal in the
triple jump
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...
event and the country's fifth ever gold medal.
Achievements
Personal bests
*All information taken from
World Athletics
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...
profile.
See also
*
Portugal at the Olympics
Portugal first participated at the Olympic Games in 1912 and has since taken part in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games. Earlier that year, the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP, ''Comité Olímpico de Portugal'') was recognised by the Int ...