Razorback long jumper wins silver medal for Jamaica

PARIS (KNWA) — A Razorback long jumper won a silver medal for Jamaica on Tuesday in Paris at Stade de France.

Wayne Pinnock added extra celebration to Jamaican Independence Day with the country’s first medal in the long jump since James Beckford in 1996.

Pinnock covered 27 feet, 5.25 inches in the second round and became the first Razorback to ever medal in the event.

“Words can’t explain the feeling,” Pinnock said. “I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian. My dream has really come through with a silver medal. Unfortunately, I didn’t get gold, but it’s all in God’s plan.”

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Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock competes in the men’s long jump final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 6, 2024. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece won his second consecutive gold medal with a winning jump of 27-10 in the second round. Italy’s Mattia Furlani finished less than an inch behind Pinnock with an opening round jump of 27-4.5 for bronze.

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“For sure I’m going to get him one day,” Pinnock said about Tentoglou. “I just need to keep focusing on the right stuff in practice and just get everything perfect.

The long jump final on Tuesday was noteworthy for American athletes as the United States went without a representative in the final for the first time since the 2008 Games in Beijing.

In addition to the medaling countries in the event, athletes from Switzerland, Great Britain, Germany and China competed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.