It has been six years since Thiago Braz won the gold medal in the pole vault and set an Olympic record; video

It was in Brazil, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, during the 2016 Olympics, that Thiago Braz not only won the first-ever gold medal in pole vaulting for Brazil but also broke the Olympic record in the event. Today, August 15, we’re celebrating the sixth anniversary of this historic achievement in the athlete’s career. Watch the video!

By making his mark in the history of the pole vault and the Olympic Games, Thiago Braz won Brazil’s first gold medal in track and field in 32 years. At the time, the athlete was only 22 years old and had to compete against the then-favorite, Renaud Lavillenie, who was representing France at the Games.

“It was my first Olympics,” Thiago said in an exclusive interview with the NR Sports YouTube channel about the World Championships. “I was 22, almost 23. So young, competing in an Olympics where people who are 25 and 26 are already better prepared. I had the opportunity to compete at home—to compete in the Olympics in Brazil.”

But winning that long-awaited gold medal wasn't easy. It rained heavily on the night of the competition, bringing strong winds that ended up delaying the event at Engenhão Stadium. Despite the challenges, jump after jump, Thiago Braz stood out among the sport’s biggest names, such as American Sam Kendricks and Polish athlete Piotr Lisek.

In the end, the battle for the gold came down to Thiago and Lavillenie. With the bar already set at 5.98m, our Brazilian champion decided to take a chance at 6.03m—a height he had never cleared before in his career. “My coach said something that isn’t typical of him: ‘Today you’re ready to clear 6m. Today is your day,’” the athlete said about the encouragement he received from his coach, Vitaly Petrov.

The rest is history. After clearing the bar, Thiago Braz stepped onto the podium to receive his gold medal, breaking the Olympic record in the process. The Brazilian still holds that record today, six years after that golden night, when he achieved the longest pole vault ever by a Brazilian athlete at the Olympics.

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It has been 6 years since Thiago Braz won his gold medal and set the Olympic record

It was in Brazil, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, during the 2016 Olympic Games, that Thiago Braz not only won Brazil’s first gold medal in the pole vault but also broke the event’s record. Today, August 15, we celebrate the sixth anniversary of this milestone.

Making his mark in the history of the pole vault and the Olympic Games, Thiago Braz won Brazil’s first gold medal in track and field in 32 years. At the time, the athlete was just 22 years old and had to compete against Renaud Lavillenie, the favorite at the time, representing France.

“It was my first Olympics,” Thiago said in an exclusive statement to NR Sports’ YouTube channel, referring to his participation in the tournament. “I was 22 or 23 years old—I was so young—competing in the Olympics alongside athletes aged 25 to 26 who were already fully prepared. I had the opportunity to compete at home—at the Olympics in Brazil.”

But it wasn’t easy to win the long-awaited gold medal. It rained heavily during the final, bringing strong winds that ended up delaying the competition at Engenhão Stadium. Despite these challenges, little by little, Thiago Braz stood out among the sport’s biggest names, such as the American Sam Kendricks and the Polish Piotr Lisek.

In the end, only Thiago and Lavillenie were in contention for the gold medal. With the bar set as high as 5.98 meters, our Brazilian champion decided to take a risk and attempt a jump of 6.03 meters—a height he had never attempted before in his career. “My coach said something unusual for him: ‘Today you’re ready to jump 6 meters. Today is your day,’” the athlete said, referring to the encouragement he received from his coach, Vitaly Petrov.

The rest is history. After clearing the bar, Thiago Braz stepped onto the podium to receive his gold medal, having also broken the Olympic record. To this day, six years after that golden night—when the greatest pole vault by a Brazilian athlete in Olympic history was witnessed—this achievement by the Brazilian remains his alone.