RIO DE JANEIRO Thiago da Silva won Brazil’s first athletics gold of their home Games on an extraordinary, unforgettable Sunday night in Rio, producing an Olympic record of 6.03 meters in the pole vault to beat hot favorite Renaud Lavillenie and send the fans into raptures.
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“In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens”, he said in reference to the Berlin Olympics when the black American sprinter won four golds.
Da Silva took up the sport at the age of 14, making him a newcomer compared with Lavillenie.
Then Da Silva cleared 6.03m (19-9¼) to claim the gold medal and improve the Olympic record.
Lavillenie gave a thumbs down signal but the crowd continued, changing to cheers when the Frenchman failed at 6.08.
There had already been drama aplenty on a night dogged by heavy rain that caused a brief suspension of action. “It is for football, not track and field”.
The win sets him up as a serious rival for Lavillenie, perhaps even a threat to his world record of 6.16.
It was Da Silva’s highest jump ever by 10cm, earning the host country’s second gold of South America’s first Olympics. He surely has the dedication.
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The 22-year-old then chose to begin jumping at the opening height of 5.50 metres, something he did at last year’s worlds en route to his victorious Canadian record of 5.93 metres.
