Adhemar Ferreira da Silva was a Brazilian triple jumper. He won two Olympic gold medals and set four world records, the last being 16.56 metres in 1955 Pan American Games. In his early career he also competed in the long jump, placing fourth at the 1951 Pan American Games. He broke world records in triple jump on five occasions during his illustrious career. To date, he remains the only track and field athlete from South America to have won two Olympic gold medals.
Silva at the 1956 Olympics
Adhemar da Silva posing with his gold medal in the victory podium during 1952 Summer Olympics medal ceremony for triple jump
Adhemar Ferreira da Silva on the cover of the Argentinian magazine El Gráfico on September 5, 1952
Coloured version of Adhemar da Silva
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games' inception in 1896.
Former world record holder Willie Banks during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea
Phases of Phillips Idowu jumping at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Yulimar Rojas landing the women's world record triple jump at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade on 20 March 2022