EUGENE — In his first world championship and second major international competition, Oregon Ducks triple jumper Emmanuel Ihemeje showed he could hold his own on the world stage.
The 2021 NCAA outdoor champion, Ihemeje jumped 56 feet, 4 inches to finish fifth in the men’s triple jump at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field on Saturday night.
Ihemeje, 23, was the only competitor to improve his distance over the final three attempts and finished with a personal best for outdoor jumps (albeit wind-aided), narrowly behind fellow Italian Andrea Dallavalle (56-7¾).
It was a big improvement from Ihemeje’s 11th-place finish at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“We call it LOBO here in Oregon: last one, best one,” Ihemeje said. “A lot of positivity compared from last year in Tokyo. A little bit of pain because the podium was that close, it was doable. But still keep my head up. Fifth in the world, that’s a real something, so on to the next one. That’s progress and I’m 23, so the world will definitely know me for sure.
“I tried to go for the podium on the last jump, tried to be lucid and tried to execute as much as I can.”
Portugal’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo, the gold medalist in Tokyo, opened with a world-leading jump of 58-10¾ and the rest of the field couldn’t get within 15 inches of him.
The second-longest jump ever at Hayward Field earned Pichardo his first gold medal at a world championships, where he won silvers in 2013 and 2015.
“It’s a big emotion,” Pichardo said. “Great happiness after winning the gold in the Olympics. It’s first-time gold in the world championships.”
Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso jumped 57-7 to win silver. Pichardo’s first three attempts were all longer than Zango’s best mark, though he said he wasn’t trying to set a tone with his opening jump.
“I was only focused on me,” Pichardo said. “My goal was on me and trying to achieve the 18 (meter) mark.”
China’s Zhu Yaming won the bronze medal (56-9½), the first medal for China in the event.
Americans Donald Scott (56-2¾) and Will Claye (54-3¼) finished in sixth and 11th, respectively, in the 11-man field. The silver medalist in both the London and Rio Olympics and the fourth-place finisher in Tokyo, Claye was eliminated after the first three attempts.
Both Scott and Claye declined to be interviewed.