Spain’s Jordan Diaz created history on Tuesday when he recorded the third-best triple jump of all time. Diaz jumped a flabbergasting 18.18 meters. It was an absolute thriller in Rome on Tuesday which saw the Spaniard also break a 26-year old record. Diaz had already set a personal record of 17.96 on his fourth attempt. Portugal’s Pichardo still pipped him to first place then after he broke the tournament record of 17.99 with a leap of 18.04. The 30-year-old’s effort was immense but not enough, as Diaz destroyed all records to clinch the gold medal for Spain. A silver would suffice for Pichardo, the Olympic and European Champion while France’s Thomas Gogois took home the Bronze.
Diaz Dazzles in Rome
Diaz, who was born and bred in Spain, now stands in third place in the record book. The 23-year old represented Cuba at the u-18 and the u-20 level. He later defected to Spain and has now won gold in his first competition for Spain. The youngster had to overcome the great Pichardo to do so. “I did not really expect this – to jump this much,” admitted Diaz Fortun. “But this is what we have been training for, and considering what happened in the background of my training, I am very pleased with my result.
Onto The Olympics
Diaz has his sights set on Paris now. The reigning European Champion had expressed his wish to break records when it mattered most. He’s achieved some premature success and now he will be looking to improve even further. After the competition was over, Diaz highlighted how Pichardo’s jump motivated him. “Seeing Pichardo jumping 18 meters was a motivation to jump even further because nobody came to to these championships to finish second or third. I thought it was almost impossible to jump 18 meters but now that I did it, I feel that nothing is impossible.” The young Spaniard has a bright future ahead of him. He has his eyes set on the Olympics
