Nelson Évora
Encyclopedia
Nelson Évora (born April 20, 1984) is a Portuguese athlete, of Cape Verdean descent, who specializes in the triple jump
and long jump
. He is the current triple jump olympic
and former world
champion. Évora currently competes for Portuguese sports club
S.L. Benfica. He represented Cape Verde
until 2002, when he got Portuguese citizenship, in June that year.
, where his parents had come to live from Cape Verde, Nelson and his family relocated to Portugal when he was five years old. He still holds the Cape Verdean records in both the long jump (7.57 m) and the triple jump (16.15 m).
Évora's family fixed in Odivelas
, on the floor upon João Ganço, former Portugal record-holder and first man in Portugal to pass over 2m in the high jump
. David Ganço, one of three sons of João Ganço, one year older than Nelson, became Évora's best friend. One day, João Ganço, seeing them playing in the street, suggested Nelson to start practicing athletics, following David's example, and, just like that, Nelson sportive career was started. João Ganço, then became Évora's coach.
Évora is a member of the Bahá'í Faith
.
. He finished fourth in the triple jump final and sixth in the long jump final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg
, having set a Portuguese triple jump record of 17.23 metres during the qualification. At the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships he came in fifth place.
On August 27, 2007, he became the triple jump World champion at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
, in Osaka
, Japan, establishing his personal best, Portuguese national record and second best world mark of the year at 17.74 metres.
On March 9, 2008, he placed third in the triple jump competition at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
, in Valencia, by jumping 17.27 metres.
On August 21, 2008, he edged out Phillips Idowu
of Great Britain and Leevan Sands
of the Bahamas to take an Olympic gold medal with a 17.67 metres jump.
Évora set the world leading mark at the Grande Prêmio Brasil Caixa in May 2009, winning with 17.66 m. He was pleased with the jump (his third best performance ever) and stated his intention to surpass the 18 metre mark at the forthcoming 2009 World Championships in Athletics
. In mid-2009, he won the triple jump gold at the Universiade
and another at the 2009 Lusophony Games
.
However he was unable to replicate his winning form at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, being relegated to 2nd place. After leading with a first round jump of 17.55m, the man he beat in the Olympic's, Phillips Idowu was able to take the gold with a third round jump of 17.73m, the longest in world for that year.
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
and long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. He is the current triple jump olympic
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's triple jump
-Qualifying round:Qualifying Performance 17.10 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.-Final:...
and former world
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
champion. Évora currently competes for Portuguese sports club
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
S.L. Benfica. He represented Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
until 2002, when he got Portuguese citizenship, in June that year.
Biography
Born in Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, where his parents had come to live from Cape Verde, Nelson and his family relocated to Portugal when he was five years old. He still holds the Cape Verdean records in both the long jump (7.57 m) and the triple jump (16.15 m).
Évora's family fixed in Odivelas
Odivelas
Odivelas is a civil parish in Odivelas Municipality in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal.. The city has a population of 50,846. The municipality is composed of 7 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
, on the floor upon João Ganço, former Portugal record-holder and first man in Portugal to pass over 2m in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. David Ganço, one of three sons of João Ganço, one year older than Nelson, became Évora's best friend. One day, João Ganço, seeing them playing in the street, suggested Nelson to start practicing athletics, following David's example, and, just like that, Nelson sportive career was started. João Ganço, then became Évora's coach.
Évora is a member of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
Sports career
He competed in the triple jump in the 2004 Olympics, without progressing from his pool, and finished sixth at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
. He finished fourth in the triple jump final and sixth in the long jump final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, having set a Portuguese triple jump record of 17.23 metres during the qualification. At the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships he came in fifth place.
On August 27, 2007, he became the triple jump World champion at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
, in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan, establishing his personal best, Portuguese national record and second best world mark of the year at 17.74 metres.
On March 9, 2008, he placed third in the triple jump competition at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
, in Valencia, by jumping 17.27 metres.
On August 21, 2008, he edged out Phillips Idowu
Phillips Idowu
Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu MBE is a Nigerian-English triple jumper...
of Great Britain and Leevan Sands
Leevan Sands
Leevan Sands is a Bahamian triple jumper. He was born in Nassau.His personal best jump is 17.59 metres, achieved in 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing...
of the Bahamas to take an Olympic gold medal with a 17.67 metres jump.
Évora set the world leading mark at the Grande Prêmio Brasil Caixa in May 2009, winning with 17.66 m. He was pleased with the jump (his third best performance ever) and stated his intention to surpass the 18 metre mark at the forthcoming 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
. In mid-2009, he won the triple jump gold at the Universiade
Athletics at the 2009 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition at the 2009 Summer Universiade was held at the Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, Serbia from July 7 to July 12, 2009.-Men's events:In Long Jump, Kim Deok-Hyeon's record is not unofficial....
and another at the 2009 Lusophony Games
Athletics at the 2009 Lusophony Games
The Athletics competition at the 2009 Lusophony Games was held in the Estádio Universitário de Lisboa on July 12, July 13 and July 19, 2009.-Men's:-Women's:-Medal table:...
.
However he was unable to replicate his winning form at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, being relegated to 2nd place. After leading with a first round jump of 17.55m, the man he beat in the Olympic's, Phillips Idowu was able to take the gold with a third round jump of 17.73m, the longest in world for that year.
Personal bests
- High JumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
- 2.07 m (2005) - Long jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
- 8.10 m (2007) - Triple jumpTriple jumpThe triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
- 17.74 m (2007)
Achievements
- 2011
- 2011 World University Games2011 Summer UniversiadeThe 2011 Summer Universiade, the XXVI Summer Universiade, was hosted in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.-Bid selection:The cities of Kazan, Russia, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Shenzhen, China, Murcia, Spain, and Poznań, Poland were in contention for the Games. On 16 January 2007, FISU announced at the conference...
(ShenzhenShenzhenShenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
)- 1st place (Triple Jump - 17.31)
- 2011 World University Games
- 2009
- 2009 World Championships in Athletics2009 World Championships in AthleticsThe 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
(BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
)- 2nd place (Triple Jump - 17.55)
- 2009 World University Games2009 Summer UniversiadeThe 2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade were celebrated in Belgrade, Serbia from 1 July to 12 July 2009. The event has also been organised by a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina , close to Belgrade. It was the largest sporting event ever to be organised...
(BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
)- 1st place (Triple Jump - 17.22)
- 2009 World Championships in Athletics
- 2008
- 2008 Olympic Games (Beijing)
- Gold Medal (Triple Jump - 17.67 - Best world mark of the year)
- 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships2008 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
(Valencia)- Bronze medal (Triple Jump - 17.27)
- 2008 Olympic Games (Beijing)
- 2007
- 2007 IAAF World Championships (OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
)- Gold medal (Triple Jump - 17.74 - Personal best - Second best world mark of the year)
- 2007 European Cup in AthleticsEuropean Cup (athletics)The European Cup is a now defunct athletics competition, replaced by the European Team Championships from 2009 onwards. The Europa Cup saw most of the major nations of Europe compete. Originally known as the Bruno Zauli Cup, it first took place in Stuttgart and Kassel , Germany in 1965...
(MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
)- 1st place (Triple Jump - 17.35)
- 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships (BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
)- 5th place (Triple Jump - 16.97)
- 2007 IAAF World Championships (Osaka
- 2006
- 2006 European Championships in Athletics2006 European Championships in AthleticsThe 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...
(Göteborg)- 4th place (Triple Jump - 17.07)
- 6th place (Long Jump - 7.91)
- 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships2006 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
(Moscow)- 6th place (Triple Jump - 17.14)
- 2006 European Cup in AthleticsEuropean Cup (athletics)The European Cup is a now defunct athletics competition, replaced by the European Team Championships from 2009 onwards. The Europa Cup saw most of the major nations of Europe compete. Originally known as the Bruno Zauli Cup, it first took place in Stuttgart and Kassel , Germany in 1965...
(ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
)- 2nd place (Triple Jump - 17.03)
- 1st place (Long Jump - 8.05)
- 2006 European Championships in Athletics
- 2005
- 2005 U-23 European Championship
- Bronze medal (Triple Jump - 16.89)
- 2005 U-23 European Championship
- 2004
- 2004 Olympic Games (AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
)- 40th place (Triple Jump - 15.72)
- 2004 Olympic Games (Athens
- 2003
- 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships2003 European Athletics Junior ChampionshipsThe 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships was held in Tampere, Finland from 23–27 July 2003. A total of 44 events were contested; 22 by men and 22 by women. Germany had the biggest medal haul with nine golds and a total of 27, closely followed by Russia . Great Britain was third with 17...
(TampereTampereTampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
)- Gold medal (Triple Jump - 16.43)
- Gold medal (Long Jump - 7.83)
- 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships