Thiago Braz da Silva added another gold medal for the 2016 Olympic hosts, winning the men's pole-vault final Monday night in Rio de Janeiro.
Braz reached a height of 6.03 meters, setting an Olympic record. France's Renaud Lavillenie, who earned silver, attempted to reach 6.08 meters after twice trying and failing to match Braz.
Lavillenie was unable to clear the height on his only chance, handing the gold to the Brazilian. American Sam Kendricks came away with the bronze:
| Pos. | Vaulter | Country | Height Reached (Meters) |
| 1 | Thiago Braz da Silva | Brazil | 6.03 |
| 2 | Renaud Lavillenie | France | 5.98 |
| 3 | Sam Kendricks | United States | 5.85 |
| T4 | Jan Kudlicka | Czech Republic | 5.75 |
| T4 | Piotr Lisek | Poland | 5.75 |
| 6 | Xue Changrui | China | 5.65 |
| T7 | Michal Balner | Czech Republic | 5.50 |
| T7 | Konstadinos Filippidis | Greece | 5.50 |
| T7 | Daichi Sawano | Japan | 5.50 |
| 10 | Shawnacy Barber | Canada | 5.50 |
| 11 | German Chiaraviglio | Argentina | 5.50 |
| N/A | Pauls Pujats | Latvia | No Mark |
According to NPR's Melissa Block, the Olympic Stadium crowd was behind Braz in his quest for glory:
The BBC's Dan Walker was engrossed by the final:
TrackTown USA was similarly on the edge of its seat while watching Braz and Lavillenie go head-to-head:
Lavillenie, the 2012 pole-vault gold medalist, looked to be on his way to a repeat. The 29-year-old cleared 5.75, 5.85, 5.93 and 5.98 meters all on his first attempts. He was the only competitor to even attempt 5.98 meters.
Braz gambled by skipping the height and missed his first try at 6.03 meters. But he nailed his second try and put all the pressure on Lavillenie.
It was quite a performance for Braz, who the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham noted had never eclipsed 5.93 meters in a competitive event before Monday night.
His victory may have been the biggest moment of the Olympics so far for Brazil. Rafaela Silva is the only other athlete to bring home gold, winning the women's 57-kilogram judo competition. Although Rio's Olympic Stadium wasn't filled to capacity on the rainy night, the fans in attendance got a show from Braz.
The start of the pole vault was delayed as a result of the wet conditions, and a malfunction with the vault caused another break in the event. For Braz and all of the Brazilians watching his every move, though, the wait was worth it.
Post-Event Reaction
"Incredible. My first time over six meters," Braz said, per the Associated Press' Raf Casert (via the Houston Chronicle). "My hometown wanted me to win."
Whereas Braz fed off the partisan Rio crowd, Lavillenie took exception to the raucous atmosphere.
"In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens," he said, per the Olympic News Service. "We've not see this since. We have to deal with it."
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