João Vieira, 45, finished the 50km march at the Olympic Games in fifth position, 1.20 minutes from the winner, Polish Dawid Tomala, who may be the last Olympic champion in distance, who has already been crossed out of the Paris-2024 Games.
Vieira, who was always in a group of five at the front, ended up giving up a little in the end, but he secured the best Olympic classification ever and highlighted himself that he had never managed to finish a race at this distance in Games. It surpasses the 10th place achieved in the 20km in Athens-2004 and conquers another Olympic diploma for Portugal.
In Sapporo, the marcher, who is world runner-up, finished the race in 3:51.28 hours, at 1.20 from Tomala (3:50.08). The podium is complete with the German Jonathan Hilbert (3:50.44) and the Canadian Evan Dunfee (3:50.59).
“I can say that it was an excellent result, it is not a 5th place for any athlete. I risked a bit, it still made me dream of a medal, but the final two laps were painful. I just have to leave satisfied with my performance, I can say that it is the last in the Olympic Games, I had never managed to finish this distance in Games, that alone is a victory. The 5th place is a victory for me and for those who work with me», he told RTP emotionally.
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