The athlete was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit

Nelson Évora, the recent gold medalist in the triple jump in Berlin, European champion and national pride, was this Monday received by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who awarded the lion, together with Inês Pereira Henriques, European champion in 50km march.

The ceremony at the Palácio de Belém began with a brief speech of the President. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized the merit of the athletes and thanked them for "believing in what they are and what they can achieve, not to give up on more ambitious goals, to combine work, consistency and humility". He emphasized, leaving an appeal: "These are qualities that should be a lesson to us all. We need more self-esteem, greater ambition, a lot of consistency, and humility", he finished.

Nelson Évora was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. He was accompanied by Artur Torres Pereira, President of the Management Committee and Carlos Silva, technical director of Sporting CP athletics. The Portuguese hero said that "It is undoubtedly a great honor to receive this award. Any athlete, when he starts his career, has many dreams, but he can never foresee that this day will come. I am happy for this step and for continuing to honor all the Portuguese", he began by saying, then answering the reason why he had never accepted such a distinction.

"After everything I went through, I felt it was not the ideal time. I did not have easy days, which were divided between the public's sympathy versus the relationship with the press, which was not good. So I figured I'd have to keep working to feel it was the right time to do it. The day has come, but that does not matter now. What matters now is that I have been awarded and I am very satisfied ", explained the athlete.

Nelson Évora ready to jump even further, despite claiming gold

Even with the gold medal around his neck, Nelson Évora was not completely satisfied at the conclusion of the European Indoor Championships.

"I had a good competition, but I was expecting to jump further and I think I can. What matters in these competitions though is winning", said Évora, adding: "I have never managed to win such an important competition twice, so it is obviously really special for me. I always take a bit of sand with me from the sand box after every competition and I will keep it with my medal."

Alvalade athlete dominated triple jump competition to top the podium

Nelson Évora surprised the pack this weekend with a fantastic performance in the European Indoor Championships triple jump competition, claiming gold with a massive distance of 17.20m.

The medal adds to a large collection already accumulated by Évora, which includes a World Championship (2007) and Olympic gold (2008).

Évora's first jump was invalid, before clearing 16.92m on his second attempt. However it was his distance of Nelson Évora that put him well clear of the rest of the pack.

Alvalade athlete just 5cm from topping the podium in Belgrade

Just 5cm seperated Patrícia Mamona from gold in the European Indoor Championships triple jump event this weekend, with the Alvalade athlete's 14.32m only bettered by Germany's Kristin Gierisch.

Meanwhile in the 60m event Lorene Bazolo qualified for the semi-finals with a time of 7.49s and will next be in action on Sunday.

Also in action in the 60m event was Ancuiam Lopes, who was unable to move beyond the semi-final stage after setting a personal best.

Alvalade triple jump star clears 16.57m to claim gold in Sporting CP debut

The Sporting CP triple jumper Nelson Évora claimed a fabulous gold medal in the Val de Reuil International Meeting this week, with a distance of 16.57m. The nearest athlete to the Sporting CP debutant was France's Jean-Marc Pontvianne (16.53m).

World triple jump champion makes the move to Alvalade

Sporting's fans were treated to a a completely unexpected surprise at half-time against Tondela this Saturday, with president Bruno de Carvalho announcing the Portuguese Olympian Nélson Évora's signing for the club.

"I am really happy that Sporting CP believes in me. It is really special for me and I just want to thank everyone for this experience. This is proof that we want to compete for European titles and that is something that I will certainly be aiming to do. You can be sure that I will do my best", said Évora in an interview with the Sporting Journal at the final whistle.