Nelson Évora Wins Gold Medal in Beijing

Nelson Évora made a name for himself by winning the gold medal in the Triple Jump event at the recent Beijing Olympics 2008. Born in Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), where his parents had come to live from Cape Verde, Nelson relocated to Portugal when he was five years old. He still holds the Cape Verdean records in both the long jump (7.57 metres) and the triple jump (16.15 metres).

Nelson’s family moved into an apartment that happened to be on the floor above Nelson’s future coach, trainer and mentor, Joao Ganco, who was also a member of the Portuguese Baha’i community. João Ganço, was the former Portugal record-holder and the first man in Portugal to pass over 2m in the high jump. David Ganço, one of João Ganço’s three sons had became Évora’s best friend. One day, João Ganço, seeing them playing in the street, suggested Nelson to start practicing athletics. That was the start of a booming career in sports and João Ganço became Nelson’s first coach.

Mr. Ganco, who introduced Mr. Evora to the Baha’i Faith, describes the young star as a talented athlete and as responsible, humble, good-humored, and helpful. After the Olympics, Mr. Evora will study in the faculty of management at the University of Lisbon.