Andrea Dallavalle’s late surge nearly overturned Pedro Pichardo’s lead, but the Olympic champion’s final jump secured global victory.

Pedro Pichardo showed why he’s a two-time Olympic medallist by pulling off a spectacular final jump to secure gold. The men's triple jump, held tonight (September 19) in Tokyo, kept spectators on the edge of their seats as Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle nearly stole the show with a huge leap.

The competition appeared settled heading into the final round with Pichardo comfortably leading. However, Dallavalle, then sitting fourth, launched an extraordinary jump of 17.64m, the best of his career, vaulting him into first place and sending the crowd into celebrations.

But Pichardo wasn’t done. On his last attempt, the 2021 Tokyo Olympic champion and 2024 Paris silver medallist dug deep and produced a massive world-leading jump of 17.91m, reclaiming the top spot and ultimately taking the gold.

Dallavalle’s incredible effort earned him silver, while Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez claimed bronze with a best mark of 17.49m. Martinez, who managed only two valid jumps amid several fouls, appeared to suffer an injury on his final attempt, adding to an already intense competition.

Algeria’s Yasser Mohammed Triki was pushed down to fourth place after Dallavalle’s final leap, finishing with a solid 17.25m.

There was major disappointment for the home crowd in Tokyo as reigning Olympic and world champion Haruka Kitaguchi failed to qualify for the women’s javelin final on September 19.

Kitaguchi, one of the favourites going into the competition, was unable to find her rhythm and could only manage a best throw of 60.38m, well below her personal best of 67.38m. It wasn’t enough to earn her a place in the top 12, bringing an early and unexpected end to her title defence.

She said: "I was so happy with this crowd in the stadium but I could not throw well today. I feel very sorry. I had a difficult season with injuries. I am happy to see Japanese people cheering me on and these will be great memories."

Japan’s frustration didn’t stop there. Momone Ueda also missed out on a finals spot by the narrowest of margins. Her throw of 60.49m placed her 13th - just one place and a few centimetres short of qualification.

At the top of the standings, Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos led the way with a strong 66.06m, followed closely by Australia’s Mackenzie Little with 65.54m. Latvia’s Anete Sietina threw 63.67m to round out the top three going into tomorrow’s final, where the medals are still very much up for grabs.

Vilagos said: "I was little bit surprised with my throw in the third round. In the last two qualifications at major competitions it went so badly for me. I tried to be not too nervous here but I failed. Maybe tonight it was the time to come out, to throw what I'm capable of. It gives me more confidence for the final.

"I got a lot of experience from the junior years. This year I had a chance to compete with these girls in Diamond League meetings and I hope tomorrow I will have a good mindset - just to enjoy myself and to show my best. It's not easy to have my mom as my coach. When everything goes well, we are both happy. But when it's wrong, it's harder to go home. Sometimes it's very difficult to separate the roles, but we try to do it professionally."