Nelson Évora facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
GCIH
Nelson Évora

Nélson Évora in 2015
Personal information
Nationality	Portuguese
Born	(1984-04-20) 20 April 1984 (age 41) Ouragahio, Ivory Coast
Height	1.83 m
Weight	76 kg
Sport
Country	Portugal
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Triple jump
Club	FC Barcelona
Coached by	Iván Pedroso
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Triple jump World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka Triple jump Silver 2009 Berlin Triple jump Bronze 2015 Beijing Triple jump Bronze 2017 London Triple jump World Indoor Championships Bronze 2008 Valencia Triple jump Bronze 2018 Birmingham Triple jump World Indoor Tour Winner 2018 Triple jump European Championships Gold 2018 Berlin Triple jump European Indoor Championships Gold 2015 Prague Triple jump Gold 2017 Belgrade Triple jump Silver 2019 Glasgow Triple jump Universiade Gold 2009 Belgrade Triple jump Gold 2011 Shenzhen Triple jump Lusophony Games Gold 2006 Lusophony Games 16.30 m Gold 2009 Lusophony Games 17.15 m

Nelson Évora is a famous Portuguese track and field athlete. He was born on April 20, 1984, in Ouragahio, Ivory Coast. His family came from Cape Verde. Nelson is best known for his amazing skills in the triple jump.

He has won many important competitions, including an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship, and a European Championship in the triple jump. He also has European indoor titles and has won the World Indoor Tour. Nelson Évora competes for Portugal and plays for the club FC Barcelona. He used to represent Cape Verde until 2002, when he became a Portuguese citizen.

Nelson Évora's Early Life and Start in Sports

Nelson Évora was born in Ouragahio, Ivory Coast. His parents had moved there from Cape Verde. When Nelson was five years old, his family moved to Portugal. Even today, he still holds the Cape Verdean records for both the long jump (7.57 meters) and the triple jump (16.15 meters).

His family settled in a town called Odivelas. They lived above João Ganço, who was a famous Portuguese high jumper. João Ganço was the first Portuguese athlete to jump over 2 meters! João's son, Davide, was a year older than Nelson and became his best friend. One day, João Ganço saw Nelson and Davide playing outside. He suggested that Nelson try athletics, just like Davide. That's how Nelson's amazing sports career began, with João Ganço as his first coach.

Nelson Évora's Amazing Sports Career

Nelson Évora has achieved a lot in his sports career. In 2004, he competed in the triple jump at the Olympic Games. He also finished sixth at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At the 2006 European Athletics Championships, he came in fourth in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. During the qualification for that event, he set a new Portuguese triple jump record of 17.23 meters!

Becoming a World Champion

On August 27, 2007, Nelson Évora became the triple jump world champion! This happened at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan. He set a new personal best and Portuguese national record with a jump of 17.74 meters. This was the second-best jump in the world that year.

Olympic Gold Medalist

In 2008, Nelson continued his success. On March 9, 2008, he won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia. He jumped 17.27 meters.

Then, on August 21, 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal! This was at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He jumped 17.67 meters, beating athletes like Phillips Idowu from Great Britain.

More Wins and Achievements

In May 2009, Nelson Évora set the world's best mark for the year at a competition in Brazil, jumping 17.66 meters. He was very happy with this jump, as it was his third-best ever. He hoped to jump over 18 meters at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. In mid-2009, he also won gold medals at the Universiade and the Lusophony Games.

However, at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, he won a silver medal instead of gold. He started strong with a jump of 17.55 meters. But Phillips Idowu, who he had beaten at the Olympics, jumped 17.73 meters to take the gold. This was the longest jump in the world that year.

Nelson Évora has played for several clubs during his career. He represented FC Porto from 2002 to 2004. Then he played for SL Benfica from 2004 to 2016. After that, he joined Sporting Clube de Portugal from 2016 to 2020. Since 2020, he has been an athlete for FC Barcelona.

Nelson Évora's Best Jumps

Nelson Évora on his way to winning a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships.

Here are Nelson Évora's personal best records in different jumping events:

• High jump – 2.07 meters (in 2005)
• Long jump – 8.10 meters (in 2007)
• Triple jump – 17.74 meters (in 2007), which was a Portuguese national record at the time!