Jadel Gregório has eyes set on Olympic success

Heir of a rich and successful tradition, Brazil’s Jadel Gregório has well deserved his position among the Triple Jump elite. After claiming silver in Budapest and improving the South American record, the tallest top class triple jumper now wants to add an Olympic medal to his résumé. Javier Clavelo Robinson reports

Budapest, 23-year-old Jadel Gregorio says, was just the beginning. Now the 2.02-metre tall jumper wants to follow on the likes of Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, Nelson Prudencio, and Joao Carlos de Oliveira, who each won two Olympic Triple Jump medals.

Born on 16 September 1980 in Jandaia do Sul, in the state of Paraná, Gregorio began to practice several athletics disciplines at an early age: his favourites were the sprints, the long jump and the hurdles.

"I remember watching a lot of competitions and always wanting to be part of them. I wanted to go there and give my best. That’s what attracted me to the sport," he recalls.

Just like every Brazilian kid, Gregorio grew up in with football even though no-one in his family was into sport. But because of his height, Gregorio naturally focused on the High Jump and as a junior he cleared 2.10m. Despite his early success, Nelio Moura, who has been Gregorio’s coach since 1998, convinced him to turn his attention to the Triple Jump.

"I began to train more seriously when I joined the Projeto Futuro (Development Programme) in Sao Paulo,” he said. “I had to wake up earlier than usual and spent more time training."

According to Moura, "as a junior he had an exceptional talent. His potential was such that he could easily hurdle, throw and jump. At one stage we even considered the combined events."

However, after his first Triple Jump competitions, the coach thought he could do even better in the individual event. And he was right for Gregorio improved from a first-ever 13.99m to an unbelievable 14.65m in one season.

Despite the coach’s encouragements, Gregorio’s first love remained the High Jump and he certainly didn’t want to quit. In 1999, still a junior, Gregorio jumped 2.10m in the high and 16.18m in the triple (eighth in the world junior lists).

That same year came his first taste for success as Gregorio managed to grab the bronze medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in Tampa. Three months later, he went on to win what was then known as a golden double (Long and Triple Jump) at the South American Junior Championships in Concepción, Chile.

Although Gregorio didn’t improve as much as expected in his first year as a senior, he set the basis for a much better 2001, when he became the sixth Brazilian to break the 17-metre mark (17.13) in São Paulo, on 18 March.

His steady improvement led him to win the South American title on home soil, in the Amazonian city of Manáus, and to clinch the bronze medal at the World University Games in Beijing. He went to Edmonton 2001 World Championships but withdrew at the last minute because of injury.

As early as January 2002, Gregorio erased Joao Carlos de Oliveira's 12-year old South American indoor mark (16.73) with a 16.83-metre leap in Dortmund, Germany. One week later, he unleashed a fantastic 17.35m in Samara, Russia, another Area record and the second longest jump of the season.

His first Ibero-American gold in Guatemala and a steady performance (four jumps over 17 metres and six over 16.90) enabled him to represent the Americas at the IAAF World Cup in Madrid 2002, where he finished fifth. A week earlier, he was fourth at the Grand Prix Final in Paris.

In 2003, he made his World Indoor Championships debut with a sixth place in Birmingham. He successfully defended his South American gold in Barquisimeto, as well as claiming the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.

In the Paris World Championships, he repeated his year best (17.11m) to finish fifth in a competition which saw five men from the Americas in the top six. He ended his season with a fourth place at the World Athletics Final in Monaco.

With ten jumps over 17.00m and good results in the major meetings, the 23-year old reached the second spot in the event World rankings in 2003, behind Sweden’s Christian Olsson.

“Jadel has managed to reach a great consistency in his results,” said his coach Moura. “Probably because he has been able to better distribute the efforts for the three jumps. His arm movements improved substantially, which has enabled him a longer and more stable step.”

“Jadel is very responsible with his commitments, consistent and he loves to study his technique. At times, he can be impetuous and gives importance to non relevant things. But he is young and he has matured very quickly. I see more virtues than shortcomings in him.”

Three indoor outings in 2004 have been more than enough to confirm his rising career. He took his Area record to 17.46m in Karlsruhe on 15 February and proved it was no fluke when he landed at 17.43m (with three over jumps over 17m) to clinch the World Indoor silver medal in Budapest.

"This medal represents the beginning of a good season and is a proof that we are training and competing well. I am progressively improving my results and I hope to be at my best in Athens and try to be on the podium there," Gregório said.

And his outdoor debut couldn’t have been better as he set a new personal best 8.10m in the Long Jump in Sao Paulo on 16 April. Two weeks later, he leapt 16.89m with a nine-step run-up for his first outdoor Triple Jump outing of the year.

“I still need to work on my technique, on my speed and I also need to lose weight. I hope that by the time Athens comes I will be at my best technically and also at my ideal weight!”

Gregorio admits being a great fan of Briton Jonathan Edwards and considers he is lucky to have been able to compete with him. “Jonathan is a very simple and humble person. He is the best triple jumper of all times.”

Brazil has high expectations for Jadel Gregorio in Athens and Gregorio himself is set to confirm he is now one of the best jumpers in the world.

According to Gregorio, the South American outdoor record (17.89), a former World record set by Joao Carlos de Oliveira in 1975, is within his reach.

“But Athens is my No.1 priority this year. The record can wait till next year and hopefully it will come in a big championship!”

Despite his record ambitions, Gregorio is a modest young man who enjoys spending time with his relatives.

“I like having fun, I like going out and spending time with my friends, my family and my girlfriend. I try to spend as much time as possible with my family as I travel so much.”

Gregorio has taken over the successful path of Brazilian Triple Jump greats. Geraldo de Oliveira (5th) and Helio Coutinho de Silva (8th) were the first Brazilian Olympic finalists in athletics in London 1948. Two years later, Adhemar Ferreira da Silva became the second man - after Japan's Naoto Tajima - to reach the 16 metres. He went on to break the World record four times and to win two Olympic titles in Helsinki'52 and Melbourne'56.

Nelson Prudencio grabbed two Olympic medals (silver in Mexico 1968 and bronze in Munich 1972) and jumped one of the four World record jumps (17.27) in the final in Mexico.

Joao Carlos de Oliveira smashed the World record with an astonishing 17.89m leap in Mexico City in 1975, before winning two bronze medals in the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. 

“It means a lot to me like the rest of our athletes to be able to look back at such a history with so many champions. They were all great stars and they all brought prestige to our sport and a remarkable contribution to our country. I am always very pleased to remember their names and their accomplishments,” said Gregorio.

"I think the Games will prove to be a very strong competition. I will have many great opponents like the Cubans, the Americans, the Russians, Christian Olsson, Marian Oprea. I am preparing physically and psychologically. I am confident I will be in optimal form in Athens and I will try to do my best in the competition.

“Of course I would like to win, nobody wants to lose. But life is such that one day you win and one day you lose. One just has to learn from his losses and become a better person.”

Published in IAAF Magazine Issue 2 - 2004