Hugues Fabrice Zango captured a groundbreaking gold medal for Burkina Faso at the 2024 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow on Saturday, becoming the first athlete from his country to win a world indoor title.
The trailblazing triple jumper bounded out to a season’s best of 17.53m to claim victory in the men’s event, while Yaser Mohammed Triki of Algeria took silver with an impressive jump of 17.35m, followed by Portugal’s Tiago Pereira who picked claimed bronze at 17.08m.
Coming on the heels of his historic gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Zango continued to break new ground for his country. Just two years ago in Tokyo, he had earned Burkina Faso’s first ever Olympic medal with a bronze in the triple jump.
He become the country’s first athletics world champion after claiming gold in the triple jump with a leap of 17.64 metres in Budapest in August last year.
And he became the first sportsman to have the country’s highest honorary distinction – Officer of the Order of the Stallion – bestowed upon him for his achievements.
After winning two world titles and an Olympic medal in just a few short years, Zango has cemented his legacy as a Burkina Faso athletic great. With the 2024’s historic world indoor gold, his pioneering status continues to grow.
Zango has now become an icon and source of inspiration for his country as his groundbreaking achievements are putting Burkina Faso on the global athletic map.
