Irving Saladino facts for kids

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Irving Saladino

Irving Saladino, Gold Medalist at Athletics World Championship 2007
Personal information
Full name	Irving Jahir Saladino Aranda
Born	(1983-01-23) January 23, 1983 (age 42) Colón, Colón Province, Panamá
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
Country	Panama
Sport	Men's Athletics
Event(s)	Long jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Long jump: 8.73 m
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Panama Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Long jump World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka Long jump World Indoor Championships Silver 2006 Moscow Long jump Ibero-American Championships Gold 2006 Ponce Long jump Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Long jump South American Games Gold 2014 Santiago Long jump South American Championships Bronze 2003 Barquisimeto Long jump Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2006 Cartagena Long jump Central American Games Gold 2010 Ciudad de Panamá Long jump Gold 2013 San José Long jump South American Under-23 Championships Gold 2004 Barquisimeto Long jump Central American Championships Gold 2002 San José Long jump Silver 2002 San José Triple jump Bronze 2002 San José 4x100 m relay CAC Junior Championships (U20) Bronze 2002 Bridgetown Long jump

Irving Jahir Saladino Aranda (born January 23, 1983) is a famous former long jumper from Panama. He is a true sports hero for his country.

Irving Saladino won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This was a huge moment for Panama, as it was their very first Olympic gold medal ever! He also became a world champion in the long jump in 2007.

He competed for Panama in three Olympic Games, from 2004 to 2012. He also took part in four World Championships in Athletics. Irving Saladino won many other medals, including a silver at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He also earned gold medals at the Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, and South American Games.

His best long jump ever was 8.73 meters, which he achieved in 2008. This amazing jump puts him among the top ten long jumpers of all time! He was known for having the longest jumps in the world during the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

Irving Saladino's Early Life and Career

Irving Saladino was born in Colón, a city in Colón Province, Panama. He started making a name for himself in the long jump early on.

In 2006, he won a silver medal at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He set a new record for South America with a jump of 8.29 meters indoors. That same year, he was very successful in the IAAF Golden League events. He won five out of six competitions, earning a lot of prize money. His longest jump in May 2006, 8.56 meters, became a new South American record.

Becoming a World Champion

Irving Saladino continued to impress in 2007. He started the season with the longest jump of the year, 8.53 meters, at a competition in Rio de Janeiro.

In May 2008, he set his personal best record. At the FBK Games in Hengelo, he jumped an incredible 8.73 meters on his very first try!

He was chosen to carry the flag for Panama at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. On August 30, 2007, Irving Saladino became the World Champion in Osaka, Japan. It was a very exciting competition! He was in the lead with 8.46 meters. Then, another athlete, Andrew Howe, jumped 8.47 meters, taking the lead. But on his very last attempt, Saladino jumped an amazing 8.57 meters to win the gold medal!

Olympic Gold Medalist

Irving Saladino made history at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. On August 18, 2008, he won the gold medal in the long jump competition with a jump of 8.34 meters. This was Panama's first Olympic medal since 1948, and their first gold medal ever! It was also the first Olympic gold medal in a men's event for any athlete from Central America.

When he returned to Panama on August 21, 2008, he was welcomed as a national hero. Government offices and public schools were closed to celebrate his amazing achievement. At a special ceremony, the famous Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Durán presented the Olympic gold medal to Irving Saladino again. The President of Panama, Martin Torrijos, announced that a sports facility would be named after Saladino. He also gave him a check for 50,000 U.S. dollars. Thousands of cheering Panamanians celebrated with him, and the singer Ruben Blades performed a special song.

Irving Saladino also qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was chosen to be Panama's flag bearer once more. However, he had an injury and was eliminated early from the competition.

After 2011, Irving Saladino's performance started to decline. He still managed to jump 8.16 meters in 2014. In August of that year, he announced his retirement from the sport.

Personal Best Jumps

• Long jump: 8.73 m – Hengelo, Netherlands, May 24, 2008
• Triple jump: 14.51 m – San José, Costa Rica, October 11, 2002

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Panama
2002	Central American Junior Championships (U20)	Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala	1st	Long jump	7.51 m
			1st	Triple jump	14.48 m
	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-20)	Bridgetown, Barbados	3rd	Long jump	7.39 m (-0.2 m/s)
			6th	Triple jump	14.38 m (wind: +0.5 m/s)
	World Junior Championships	Kingston, Jamaica	10th (q)	Long jump	7.30 m (wind: -0.5 m/s)
	Central American Championships	San José, Costa Rica	1st	Long jump	7.18 m
			2nd	Triple jump	14.51 m
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	42.86
2003	South American Championships	Barquisimeto, Venezuela	3rd	Long jump	7.46 m (wind: +0.1 m/s)
2004	South American Under-23 Championships	Barquisimeto, Venezuela	1st	Long jump	7.74 m (-0.2 m/s)
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	36th (q)	Long jump	7.42 m (0.8 m/s)
2005	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	6th	Long jump	8.20 m w (wind: +2.8 m/s)
2006	World Indoor Championships	Moscow, Russia	2nd	Long jump	8.29 m AR
	Ibero-American Championships	Ponce, Puerto Rico	1st	Long jump	8.42 m (wind: -0.4 m/s)
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Cartagena, Colombia	1st	Long jump	8.29 m (wind: +0.0 m/s)
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	Long jump	8.41 m (wind: +0.4 m/s)
	World Cup	Athens, Greece	1st	Long jump	8.26 m (wind: +0.3 m/s)
2007	Pan American Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	Long jump	8.28 m (wind: -0.5 m/s)
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	Long jump	8.57 m AR (0.0 m/s)
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	1st	Long jump	8.34 m (-0.3 m/s)
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	4th	Long jump	8.16
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	12th (q)	Long jump	7.80 m
	Central American Games	Panama City, Panama	1st	Long jump	8.19 m GR (0.0 m/s)
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	22nd (q)	Long jump	7.84 m (wind: +0.2 m/s)
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	—	Long jump	NM
2013	Central American Games	San José, Costa Rica	1st	Long jump	7.99 m (wind: -0.4 m/s)
	South American Championships	Cartagena, Colombia	3rd	Long jump	7.94 m (wind: +1.5 m/s)
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	11th (q)	Long jump	7.94 m
	South American Games	Santiago, Chile	1st	Long jump	8.16 m (wind: -0.5 m/s)

See also

In Spanish: Irving Saladino para niños