Adhemar da Silva

Not to be confused with Adhemar da Silva Rocha.
For other names which also depict as Ademar da Silva, see Ademar Braga.

Adhemar da Silva
Silva at the 1956 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameAdhemar Ferreira da Silva[1]
NicknameHero of Helsinki
NationalityBrazilian
Born(1927-09-29)September 29, 1927[2]
São Paulo, Brazil[2]
DiedJanuary 12, 2001(2001-01-12) (aged 73)[2]
São Paulo, Brazil[2]
Alma materFederal University of Rio de Janeiro
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight69 kg (152 lb)[1]
Sport
Country Brazil
SportAthletics
Event(s)Triple jump, long jump
ClubSão Paulo FC
Vasco da Gama, Rio de Janeiro
Coached byDietrich Gerner
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals1952 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
Highest world ranking1
Personal best(s)TJ – 16.56 m (1955)
LJ – 6.93 m (1951)[3]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Brazil
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
South American Championships 3 1 1
Pan American Games 3 0 0
World University Games 3 0 0
Ibero-American Games 1 0 1
Total 12 1 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Triple jump
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1951 Buenos Aires Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago Triple jump
World Student Games
Gold medal – first place 1953 Dortmund Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1955 San Sebastián, Spain Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1957 Moscow Triple jump
South American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1952 Buenos Aires Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1954 Sao Paulo Triple jump
Gold medal – first place 1958 Montevideo Triple jump
Silver medal – second place 1956 Santiago 4 × 400 metres relay
Bronze medal – third place 1949 Lima Triple jump
Ibero-American Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Santiago Triple jump
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Santiago Long jump
Updated on 27 April 2022

Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (September 29, 1927 – January 12, 2001) was a Brazilian triple jumper.[4] 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.[3] 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.

He remained the sole Olympic gold medalist for Brazil until the 1980 Summer Olympics. He is regarded as one of the finest South American athletes in history, and for decades was the only Brazilian athlete to have won gold in two consecutive Olympics (a record that stood until 2012). He was the first Brazilian individual athlete to have set a world record in any sporting event. He became an extraordinary exceptional triple jumper despite not excelling in his speed and long jumping abilities.

Silva was a polyglot, having learned English, Finnish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, and Spanish in addition to Portuguese.[5] He had close association with Czech veteran long-distance runner Emil Zátopek for over 50 years.[5] Silva was a member of the São Paulo Futebol Clube, and because of him, the team coat has two gold stars above its emblem. He also had a short stint for Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama from 1955 to 1959.

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Adhemar da Silva". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Adhemar Ferreira da Silva". britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Adhemar Ferreira da Silva. trackfield.brinkster.net
  4. ^ "Adhemar da Silva". Athletics Podium. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Adhemar Ferreira da Silva: Brazil's Sporting Legend and Olympic Champion of triple jump". Sunday Observer. December 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2022.