Thiago Braz Wins Bronze in Tokyo and Holds the Olympic Record
Thiago Braz finished among the top three athletes in the world during the pole vault final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held this Tuesday (3)! Standing on the podium alongside Armand Duplantis and Chris Nilsen, the Brazilian athlete won the bronze medal for Brazil.
Photos: Júlio César Guimarães/COB
The Olympic record of 6.03 meters set by Thiago Braz himself at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics has not been broken. Another piece of good news is that the athlete has joined the select group of eight Brazilians to have won two Olympic medals in track and field.
Seeking to bring home another medal for his country in his second Olympics, Thiago Braz jumped 5.87 meters in Tokyo and won the bronze medal. The competition was tough, and the Brazilian athlete had to beat some of the world’s best, such as Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis and the United States’ KC Lightfoot, to make it onto the podium.
Sweden's Armand Duplantis cleared 6.02m to win the gold medal, while the American Chris Nilsen took silver by clearing the bar set at 5.97m. Even though he didn’t make the highest jump in the final, Thiago Braz retains his Olympic record of 6.03 meters.
“It represents resilience, even within the context of the Olympics. Nothing has been easy for me over these five years, but I overcame the challenges and am bringing this medal back to Brazil. I’m so happy for my wife and my entire family, who helped me bounce back. I have deep faith in God; He’s the one who kept me going all these years, inspiring me to push myself, compete with hopes of a medal, and aim for gold,” said the Olympic medalist.
