SAINT-DENIS, France — Arkansas jumper Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica claimed the Olympic silver medal in the long jump final at Stade de France Tuesday.
Pinnock covered a distance of 27 feet, 5.25 inches (8.36) in the second round to become the first Razorback jumper to medal in the long jump and the first Jamaican to do so since James Beckford in 1996.
“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.”
The Jamaican joins Arkansas alums Mike Conley and Matt Hemmingway as Razorbacks to medal in Olympic jumping events. Conley earned gold (1992) and silver (1984) in the triple jump, while Hemmingway secured silver (2004) in the high jump.
Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece defended his Tokyo Olympic title with a winning leap of 27-10 (8.48) in the second round. Italy’s Mattia Furlani finished less than an inch behind Pinnock for bronze with his opening-round mark of 27-4.5 (8.34).
Pinnock also finished behind Tentoglou in the 2023 World Championships.
“For sure I’m going to get him one day,” Pinnock said. “I just need to keep focusing on the right stuff in practice and just get everything perfect... they're all great competitors, but at the end of the day, I know my abilities, and I know for sure [that] one day, I'm going to get that Greek guy."
Another Razorback in the field was Jamaican Carey McLeod, who placed 12th with a distance of 25-8 (7.82).
The series of jumps for Pinnock included 25-8.75 (7.84), 27-5.25 (8.36), 26-2.75 (7.99), 26-5 (8.05), 27-0.5 (8.24) and 26-7.75 (8.12).
